Shadow Queen
by AmbiWriter
Summary: There was once a beautiful girl with great intelligence and a resolve made of steel. She is exceedingly introverted, and only smiles and laughs with those she somewhat trusts. She rules in the background, helping others without knowing it herself. She can strip your walls and see the real you, when hiding in walls herself.
1. Chapter 1: Alias

A/N: Woohoo, another Ouran fic! I'm like, this will be awesome, since this is during anime/manga. The afterstory I wrote was so so exhausting...

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. Tamaki emo corner moment... :(

Summary: There is a girl who is beautiful who can rip down your walls and see the real you. She is highly intelligent, and can be with no emotion sometimes to the point of a robotic personality. She is known by many as perfect, and, due to her introverted personality, only hangs out with her closest friends. Because of her somewhat cold demeanor and supposed superiority complex, some people hate her. Although, many respect her to the point of betting on her to win. Not many know that she rules in the background, not even her.

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter One:**

**Alias**

_Kaede_

I walked out of the office, satisfied at my arrival to Ouran Academy. It was my first day, and I looked around in disgust at the uniform. I got off the hook; it's called persuasion, you know. I wore skinny jeans and a navy blue collared top; with a red leather jacket to top it all off. It was one of the perks of being rich.

My dad is the founder and CEO of the Shirai Company, one of the largest companies in technology today. I moved from the United States to Japan to begin study at the prestigious Ouran Academy, and I am currently living alone in a small house (well designed, though). Don't think me crazy; I like my life.

Many people think I'm a model, with my perfect ash-black hair and nice smile. They think I'm too perfect, with my intelligence and physical ability. Although, I have no true enemies yet.

As "perfect" as I am, I only have three close friends that I actually hang out with. Many girls hate me, but I was okay since they were only bark and no bite. I, on the other hand, have _plenty _of bite.

Back in the U.S., no one had any idea that I was rich. I used my mom's maiden name so no one could recognize me, and only let them have a peek of my real life.

I walked to my new class, 1-A, ready to repel any snobby rich girl who turns to hate me. I was super surprised for this. When I walked in, all sighed and started pampering me. For real?!

The minute I stepped in, I was bombarded by girls asking, "How do you have such perfect hair?" and boys asking, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I ignored all of them rather coldly and sat in my seat quietly, reading a book. The teacher opened her mouth to ask me to introduce myself, but I made a visible "no" to her. She didn't question it.

As I shooed everyone away as class started, I took in my surroundings. To my left was a girl, possibly, with thick glasses and baggy clothes. To my right was an orange haired mischievous looking guy. When I looked farther, I saw he had a twin. _That's _trouble.

During the lesson, I started thinking that this place wasn't as prestigious as said. It was so... _easy. _I found myself almost nodding off in class. I turned to the left. The girl also looked tired.

At the end of class, those two twins I labeled as mischievous started making a move on me. "Who are you-" the first one started.

"My beauty?" the other one finished. I rolled my eyes and scoffed at their act. They were too close, and had roses in their hands. Whoa, how did they get those?

"Take five steps back please, my guards wouldn't like this and neither will my lawyer," I said, pointedly looking at the glaring shadows on either side of me. "I know that your position, Hitachiins, is very high, but mine is, unfortunately for you, higher." I acted the part of manipulating girl. "So... I take it you're not stepping back?" They looked surprised, and quickly jumped back. I turned the cold shoulder, then exited with my guards.

* * *

><p>"Yes!" I cheered as I strutted out of the theater. It was after school, and I had just delivered <em>the best <em>audition for the lead role of the new play: _the Boy with the Black Hair. _I had crossdressed as a boy and played it perfectly. They already said that I was to be the lead.

I was still in my boy clothes (a skater outfit with headphones) and my hair was still tied up so that I would look like one (a trick from a dear crossdressing friend). _Next on my list, _I thought, taking out a list that my mom made to do after school. The audition had only been 5 minutes, so I had plenty of time before coming home to my small house.

The next thing to do was go check out the music rooms and practice the piano there, since they didn't take the time to put a grand in my house. I made a beeline to the music rooms.

Many of them were occupied, and by many, I think all of them. There was still one I haven't checked: Music Room #3. I turned the knob, hoping it wasn't another kissing couple. That awkward situation was enough.

When I caught sight of the inside, a rose petal got in my opened mouth.

I saw exceedingly handsome boys before me saying, "Welcome," in a ridiculously grand way. I checked their faces, recognizing the twins and... _oh please no. _It was Ootori. Kyoya Ootori. Bye, I'm dead. R.I.P. for poor old me. We didn't even know each other that well too...

Ootori and I met under the horrible circumstances of: our parents are the best of friends. We were childhood "friends" despite the year difference. We, unfortunately, were a lot alike, to the point of people asking if we were brother and sister and even twins. If you asked us that, you would've died of our glares.

"It's another boy. Is gay the new cool?" asked the blonde guy. Whoa, what? They think I'm a boy? Oh yeah... I still am crossdressing... I perked up seeing a broken vase on the floor and that girl I saw in class huddling in the corner talking about a debt or something.

"I was just here to play on the piano," I sighed, raking my hand through my hair and putting my other hand's thumb in my back pocket. It was a usual pose. Although, when I stroke this pose, they started sparkling.

"Waaa! Mommy, this boy's perfect!" the blonde guy ran to Ootori. Mommy? And _who's _gay? "He's handsome and cool!" Ootori looked amused, and fixed his glasses.

"_He _sure is," he replied in amusement. Oh, now I remember what kind of club this is. It's a... host club.

"You're a perfect host!" the blonde guy once more turned to me. "Will you join?" I struck a look at Ootori and fixed a hard gaze at the idiotic blonde guy.

"...No." I turned to exit, but was interrupted by a sudden wind on my shoulder. I turned around quickly, seeing a tiny blonde boy who looked elementary in the position to tap on my shoulder.

I looked to see behind him a giant with black hair. _What an eccentric group, _I thought. "Can you be a host?" the cute little blonde boy looked to me with pleading eyes, you know, the ones you can't resist.

Guess what I said? "No thank you." Then, I opened the door and got the heck outta there.

Honestly, I thought I was home free. What I _didn't _expect was the host club opening the door and running after me. I started to sprint. The host club started to lag behind in the seemingly endless hall, but that giant guy was close behind. Suddenly, he picked me up with tremendous force. The host club was catching up, and I was caught struggling. I slipped out of his grasp using my slim body and started running again. I froze when I heard a certain black haired, manipulative guy say, "Our parents are good friends, you know."

I turned back with a vexed face. "I know that, Ootori, don't think me stupid."

"I know you aren't."

"Don't think you can win against me: I know of your latest 'inquiries,'" I started playing his game. He froze at my statement.

"What 'inquiries,' Shadow King?" the twins asked. He hesitated. Oh man, did I go too far? He was irritating, but these were his only friends he even remotely tolerated! I did the only thing I _could _do.

"I'll join your host club."

* * *

><p>Why did I join? I didn't need to help Ootori <em>that <em>bad! After I said, "I'll join your host club," I suddenly found myself sitting on a couch across from the host club.

"I'm Tamaki Suoh, and this is Kyoya Ootori, second years, Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin, first years, Mitsukuni 'Honey' Haninozuka, and Takashi 'Mori' Morinozuka, third years... Oh, and Fujioka-_kun, _our new dog who joined minutes ago!" the blonde guy introduced the club, pointing out the members. Fujioka-_kun_? They thought she was a boy too?! Ootori probably knows...

I went over the types of the people. The twins were the little devils, Mitsukuni-senpai was lolita, Takashi-senpai was the...er... _fighter _type, Tamaki-senpai was the princely type, and, I almost laughed at this, Ootori was the _cool _type. Ha!

"What's your name?" Mitsukuni-senpai asked cutely. Oh right, they didn't know my name.

"Katana Shiraishi," I said. "Is it alright if I call you guys by your first names?"

"Of course, Kata-chan!" Mitsukuni-senpai said. "You can call Takashi Takashi-senpai too!" He rolled on my lap. Aww... He was like my little cousin.

"Oi, Ootori, what type am I?" I asked the black haired guy who was passing by me.

"We'll see, _Mr. _Shirai_shi_," he smirked. I ignored the malice in his voice.

I stood up. "So, what am I doing here?"

* * *

><p><em>The Host Club is now open for business<em>

I observed the host club members doing their "work" with Ootori, who was writing in his notebook. "You still have that?" I asked, looking at his black notebook.

"You still have yours," he countered, looking at my own leather notebook in my hand.

"Touche." That was what I called awkward. "Oh hey, about those baby pictures I happened to acquire..."

"You're not the only one," he said. I raked a hand through my hair.

"I hate that our parents are such good friends."

"Don't we all?" We looked away from each other for a second, then I continued looking at the host club. The twins were doing some kind of twincense act, and the girls were squealing in delight. Gosh, that's weird.

Then there were the third years. They weren't _as _weird. I know that girls could always fall for the cuties. Oh man, did I just think _cuties_?

There was a conversation, though, that caught my attention. Tamaki-senpai was talking to a rather snobbish looking girl, who I disliked right away. "So, Tamaki-_kun, _I heard that you were keeping an unpedigreed little kitten..." Was she talking about Haruhi?! Frankly, I thought she wasn't bad compared to everyone else.

"Not a little kitten - well, speak of the devil!" he turned to a distressed Haruhi entering the room. "How was it, little pig?"

I didn't get to watch the rest of it, since Ootori pulled me to a table where four girls sat, waiting for my arrival. "This is Katana Shiraishi, our new host," he introduced me.

"Hello," I said, making a weird "hi" gesture. I sat down, resting my ankle to my left knee, and smiled. "So, any questions for me?" I asked.

One of them blushed slightly and asked, "Do you go to school here, Shiraishi-_kun_?"

"Oh no, I'm an honor student in my first year of high school from Presch Gakuen, around here. I'm just hosting because of my _friend _Ootori," I said, looking at the boy who was standing next to the couch.

"Oh yes, a _friend_," he smiled. We started bickering and the girls had hearts in their eyes. Whoa, did I just unintentionally lead a gay boy act with Ootori?

After getting tired of the over-excited squeals as we argued about totally nonsense things, I asked, "Did I just hear, '_I _will drink the instant coffee' from over there?" We stood to join the commotion. I saw Haruhi pouring hot water for the rich people and sprinkling a powder in them.

Tamaki-senpai said blah blah this and blah blah that as the girls held a cup of coffee in their hands. "My father will be mad at me if I drink this...," said a girl uncertainly. These people are so, _so _idiotic. Tamaki-senpai suddenly moved to put the girl in one of those romantic dips.

"Would you drink it if you drunk it from my mouth?" he asked seductively. I almost gagged.

"I-I would," the girl stuttered. The others squealed uncontrollably. What is _wrong _with these people?! I retreated to Haruhi, who was cursing about the rich people. I would, if I could even cuss.

"Hey, Haruhi. I see I'm not the only one who thinks this is all revolting," I said, leaning on the wall beside her. "These people are so snobbish, they think that because they're rich they are above the lesser." As I said this, Haruhi looked at me questioningly.

"But, Katana-" I cringed at the name, "-you are rich too," she pointed out. I sighed.

"That's true, but I was raised normally, and all of my friends didn't know about my family's money," I said. "I hid it for more than a decade." I was reduced to silence, remembering _them. _I flipped my hair, only to find most of it was tied up, and joined Ootori. I left Haruhi with a confused look.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

_At School Lunch_

"I see you're a girl again, as usual," Ootori commented. We were in the cafeteria, chatting. I did despise him a bit, but he was the only one who I knew. "You didn't have to go as far as to wear your fake glasses," he added further, referring to the spectacles I was wearing. I wanted to conceal my identity for now.

"Shut it, Ootori," I rolled my eyes. I took out the test scores that we did today out of my backpack. I scored 100% on all of them.

"You're holding back as always, Shirai," he said, looking over my shoulder.

"Yeah, like you don't," I retorted. "Haruhi scored 105% on them for finishing the tests in 30 minutes." Ootori snorted.

"You could've finished them in 5 minutes, Shirai. You've been taking a liking to Haruhi, haven't you?"

"Well, I favor girls more than boys. As quoted from an acquaintance of mine, 'All boys are jerks.'" I stuffed the papers inside my bag.

"Oh, Shirai said 'jerks,' should I tell your father?" he teased. Ugh, he knew that I could barely even say _dang _without getting into trouble for "cussing."

"Yeah, I still have those 'inquiries' I mentioned earlier, you know," I said monotonic. He paused, then sighed. "You know how it feels, Ootori, to hold back since you're the youngest? To not outshine them, but still be perfect at the same time?" Both of us had two older brothers, heirs of our family's company. But I already knew that Mr. Ootori was choosing Ootori to succeed his position.

"I don't believe that anymore," he replied, glasses flashing. I smiled, which was a rare occurrence with boys, and gathered my things.

"Good. I'm going to the library, Ootori. Oh, and keep _that _for now, okay?" I stood up to go out.

* * *

><p><em>Kyoya<em>

After Shirai left, the host club, without Tamaki and Haruhi, came up to me with confused faces. **"Who was that?" **the twins asked simultaneously. **"You don't hang out with girls very often."**

"Don't you think she looks like Kyo-chan?" Honey-senpai gasped. "Is it a relative?" Snapping at that single question, I suddenly had a black aura about me.

"She's... _not my relative,_" I growled angrily. They all jumped. "She's just a childhood friend." If Shirai heard that...

"Oh, you refer to me as a childhood friend?" I froze. It was Shirai, flipping her hair in that somewhat arrogant way of hers. None of them realized it was "Katana Shiraishi."

The host club, unknowingly, ogled at her. She noticed it, but made no move to show it.

"Why are you here, Shirai?" I said between gritted teeth.

"Oh, I was just getting my jacket; I left it here rather _conveniently_," she replied in her calm way. So infuriating. "Bye, Kyo," she teased, heading back to the library.

"Kyo?" Hikaru asked. I glared at him.

* * *

><p><em>After School<em>

_Kaede_

I laughed inwardly as I walked calmly to the host club room. I could be light hearted sometimes, I wasn't _always _cold. I smiled a lot and laughed a lot, though only for my friends or people I deemed somewhat trustworthy.

I walked through the halls, and, before reaching the host club room, spotted a person's things in the fountain. It was Haruhi's; I knew it since the materials looked poorer than the rich kids'. I ran to go downstairs, tying up my hair and removing my spectacles, bumping into Haruhi on the way there. "Haruhi!" I cried. "What happened to your things?"

"Katana?" she said in surprise. I cringed, hearing my "name."

"Did you get a makeover by the twins?" I asked, noticing her cute get-up.

She sighed. "Yeah," she replied.

"C'mon, let's get your things from the fountain. I'll find out who did it later," I started walking with her to the fountain. I already knew who did it, though; it was the red headed snobbish girl I saw talking with Tamaki-senpai.

When we got to the fountain, I tied up my pants and rolled up my sleeves to help her acquire her things. "Is that all, Haruhi?" I asked.

"I still haven't found my wallet," she said.

"I'll be going ahead; I'll persuade Ootori not to make your debt bigger if you're late," I told her. Ootori had informed me of her enormous debt to the host club. I would give her the money, but I wasn't that kind of person, unfortunately.

I ran to the host club room after seeing Tamaki-senpai's figure come towards Haruhi. I laughed, knowing the absurdity of someone like me match-making. It's like Ootori being drunk right before the Ootori Group's partners' eyes. Oh wait, that's _too _absurd.

When I reached the doors of the music room, I found that red headed girl waiting at a table. I walked to Ootori. "Haruhi's late today; you better not raise her debt," I informed him. "And who is that red headed girl?"

"'Princess' Ayanokoji; Tamaki's regular visitor. She requested Haruhi today, but, as you told me, she is late," he said. _Ayanokoji. That's her name, _I thought.

"I'll be sitting with her while waiting for Haruhi," I said. Ootori opened his mouth to argue, but I walked away before he could speak. "Are you Ayanokoji?" I asked the girl, with a cold expression.

"Yes," she replied with her nose up high. "Please don't refer to me in such a disrespectful manner." I refrained from snorting at her snobbish ways.

"I don't know if you know this, but I'm higher up the social class than you. My name is not Shiraishi; it's Shirai, the daughter of one of the most successful people in the technology industry," I said, intimidating her. "Don't act so prideful, Ayanokoji. Bullying with jealousy in your mind is something that can put you in the lower. You do realize Tamaki-senpai is not as idiotic as he seems? You are already found out, _girl._" I walked away with a stone hard face which contorted into a smile as I sat with my guests. _She'll try one more thing before going down, _I thought, _she might've been listening now, but my cold words will disappear once she gets a taste of jealousy again. _I began thinking of her next move as I talked with my guests.

I heard the door behind me open as a soaking wet Tamaki-senpai and Haruhi came in. _Then it begins. _I didn't catch Ayanokoji's conversation with Haruhi, but soon, I heard a shriek and saw a confused Haruhi supposedly pinning a distressed Ayanokoji to the ground.

"Someone help! Haruhi suddenly pinned me to the ground!" Ayanokoji cried. I stood, with a deadly expression, and walked to the scene. I stood silently, glaring at the red head, and watched as the twins poured water all over Haruhi. Then, Tamaki-senpai said a totally unneeded speech and ended up banning Ayanokoji from the host club. As she walked out, I excused myself to talk with Ayanokoji.

I walked out of the doors, and shouted to her figure, "Haruhi is not gay, Ayanokoji." She stopped in shock, thinking I would say something different. "You know that, right?" I said, before going back inside.

The girls were going out of the host club room too; it was the end of the hour. I went to join the others, who were near the changing rooms.

Tamaki-senpai was staring at Haruhi's ID; oh, he figured it out. "Haruhi... You're a girl?" he asked. As an answer, Haruhi got out of her changing room with the girls' uniform of Ouran Academy.

"Well, technically," she said innocently. I broke into a small laugh. This was ridiculous.

Tamaki-senpai turned beet red, taking it all in.

**"Is this the beginnings of love?" **Ootori and I said in unison, not speaking to anything in particular. I smiled. It was like a comedy show; these people were hilarious.

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, remembering something. The host club looked to me. "I'm a girl too!" Their eyes widened as I tied loose my hair. "I'm Kaede Shirai, the new girl of 1-A. You two-" I looked to the twins, "-hit on me on my first day." I glared at them for a second before smiling again. I put on my spectacles and Mitsukuni and Takashi-senpai gasped in realization (the twins were still frozen by my glare).

"Kae-chan was the girl who Kyo-chan was talking to?" Mitsukuni-senpai asked with those big eyes of his.

"Mhmm. Oh, and another note, Tamaki-senpai," I said, turning to my beet red senior. "I'm _not gay._"

* * *

><p>AN: Not the best. Oh, and for the readers of my other fic, you probably see some similarities of Akari and Kaede. I _was _going to make Akari in this fic, but I was like, I want to make a serious person who actually has enemies!

To be clear, Katana Shiraishi was an alias. Her real name is Kaede Shirai.

-AmbiWriter-


	2. Chapter 2: Stress

A/N: I know I said in the last author's note that this was during the anime/manga, but I am going to make chapters completely made up. Just a, you know, warning.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC's and stuff like that.

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter Two:**

**Stress**

_Kaede_

"I don't know if you know this, Ootori, but Tamaki-senpai has _got to be _the most idiotic person in the world."

"Anyone who _doesn't _know that may just be more idiotic than him."

Ootori and I was just having our usual talk after school, him drinking that expensive coffee (not) and me drinking a delicious Frappuccino made by Ootori's kitchen staff. Although, when I thanked them, they turned the cold shoulder. They were all female, you see...

"He's doing that father-daughter thing with Haruhi again," I said, standing up in alarm. "Ugh, Japanese host club guys are so perverted." Ootori laughed.

"_You _are a Japanese host club guy, Shirai."

"No, I am a Japanese host club girl, get it right, dude," I walked to Tamaki-senpai, who was unknowingly harassing Haruhi into wearing a dress. I crossed my arms and glared at him. "What the heck is going on, Tamaki-senpai?" I asked.

"W-well, I wanted Haruhi to wear this dress for me and look like this!" he cried, pulling out a picture of Haruhi in middle school. I maneuvered so that I was holding Tamaki-senpai like I was arresting him.

I whispered into his ear, "I know you're all innocent, senpai, but don't think that I won't kill you for one idiotic action." My warm breath on his neck made him shiver.

"O-okay, Kaede," he stammered, then I released him. Haruhi pulled me away.

"Thanks, Kaede," she said gratefully. I smiled at her.

"S'okay," I replied, walking back to Ootori. He looked impressed.

"Sometimes, I believe you might _actually _kill someone by intimidation, Shirai," he commented. I tied up my hair as we spoke.

"W_hatever,_" I said. "Hey, where is the piano?"

"Follow me," he replied, walking to the corner of the room. My eyes widened at the beautiful grand before me. I wasted no time, running to get a random book and turning to the hardest song.

Then, I played. My fingers flowed with the piece, and I unconsciously closed my eyes as the rhythm became soothing. Even in sight reading music that I've never even seen before, I could just close my eyes and go with instinct.

Over the piano, I heard the door open and a charming **"Welcome, ladies," **blended in with the sound. When I reached the last note, it was answered with an awed silence. Then, polite applause broke the air.

"Waa! Kata-chan's a music prodigy!" Mitsukuni-senpai ran to me, rolling in my lap. I cringed at the name again; right, the ladies are here...

"Thanks, senpai," I said with a genuine smile.

"You should join the piano club, Kaede," Haruhi whispered to me, since I supposedly went to another school. I shook my head.

"Nah... I'm on bad terms with the president," I said.

"What happened?"

"...Let's just say that I kind of embarrassed her in a piano competition, like, yesterday." I stood. "Anyways, I'm in the theater club, the host club, and the robotics club. No need for one more," I said.

**"How do you even have time for three clubs?" **asked the twins, joining into the conversation.

"Their schedule for practices correspond accordingly," I said curtly. "I'm going to my guests."

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

"How come you always score second?" Haruhi asked me. It was before class; the usual time for me chatting with Haruhi. "Kyoya-senpai told me that you want me to keep first place." Is that it? Ootori, I'm going to kill you one day...

"If _I _score first place, you will score second. Therefore, you will break the agreement for your scholarship here and will be expelled," I said robotically. "I'd rather you not. If I score second, then there's nothing bad for me." I sat back in my chair, putting my hands behind my head. "Anyways, if I score first, it'll be practically meaningless. I rarely study, but you actually do."

I took out my leather notebook to sketch a bit. Haruhi spoke. "Kaede is kinder than she lets out," she commented. I smiled.

"Thanks, I guess," I said, looking back down.

* * *

><p><em>After School<em>

I speed walked quickly all over the school. First; bring the robotics club the sketch I planned out for the new robot. Second; take 10 minutes of practice in theatrics. Third; run like I'm going to die and tie up my hair to go to the host club room.

When I opened the door, I saw it was already open for business. "You're late," I heard Ootori come up to me as usual with his black notebook.

"Oh well," I said. "Wait-" I raised my index finger, "-oh gosh, I was supposed to babysit my cousins today!" Then, one of my shadows/bodyguards came out carrying two kids to me.

"Your aunt, Kaede-sama, told me to give these kids to you," he said. I carried my 2-year-old cousin, Aya, and held my five-year-old cousin, Tomi's, hand.

"Oops, sorry," I sucked in a sharp breath. "Out of all the things, I forget you two?" I smiled warmly.

"It's okay, Kaede-nee-chan," Tomi said cutely. I froze. Oh yeah, I have to host as I baby sit them.

"Okay, Tomi, Aya; Today, I'm not Kaede-nee-chan, but Katana-nii-san, okay?" the two nodded in understanding.

**"Anything for **_**Katana-nii-san**_**!~" **the two said in unison.

"Wow, these kids love you...," Ootori commented.

"I'm great with kids, Ootori, you should know that," I sniffed and went inside.

My guests loved my cousins. "Tomi-chan, do you want ice cream?" I asked my cousin.

"Yes, Katana-nii-san!" he sparkled. The girls squealed at the cuteness. I stood to get some chocolate ice cream for myself and strawberry for him. When I looked all over the room, I found out that everyone had gathered to see me with my cousins. Although, there was one little guy who was sitting in the kitchen, eating cake with a melancholic expression.

"Mitsukuni-senpai?" I asked in surprised, as I opened the fridge. "Don't tell me you're _jealous _of my little cousins, now are you?" I took out the strawberry and chocolate.

"Maybe," he muttered. I plopped down the mugs with a big _bang._

"Senpai, that's downright _selfish. _I am so _stressed _right now and all you can think about it getting attention!" I snapped. "Look, my cousins are 5 and 2 years old; it's natural for them to get attention, and, right now, that attention is getting some weight of my shoulders. I don't _care _if you want to be them, all I want is to finally get to breath!" I exitted, with the mugs of ice cream in my hands and a stupefied senpai behind me.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Afternoon or so<em>

I felt a cold hand on my forehead. "Shirai, you have a fever," I heard Ootori say.

"I was awake the whole night taking care of my cousins, and did my homework late," I explained, breathing out of my mouth. I was lying down on the couch during host club hours, as Ootori watched over me. "I've been dizzy the whole day." My voice was hoarse, due to overwork and stress. "I even snapped at Mitsukuni-senpai yesterday."

"You only have three clubs to do, Shirai; you can't be _this _stressed," Ootori said.

"I joined the piano club after taking over the president's position. And I have sports after school like kendo with Takashi-senpai," I replied. "I also am an assistant librarian at the public library in town." Before he could answer, some girls went over to Ootori.

"Who is _she_?" they asked snobbishly. Oh yeah, I wasn't Katana today. I sat up, ignoring Ootori's orders of lying down.

"Kaede Shirai," I said with a cold gaze, gaining my voice. "_Don't _take such a tone with me." They shuddered.

"So, Kyoya-_kun_, what'cha doin'?" they flirted. Ootori followed my example.

"I'm watching over a friend of mine as they recover from overwork. I won't be able to fulfill my duties in the host club today," he said. "And, Shirai, you should lie down." He glared at me until I did what he said.

The girls retreated to their rich girl land, escaping me, a [sick] intimidating girl, and Ootori, a [demanding] handsome "caregiver."

"Do we have chocolate chip cookies?" I asked, sniffing the air with my stuffy nose.

"Yes."

"Can I have some?"

"No."

"Oi, Yochigami, can you give me two cookies?" I asked a shadow nearby. In an instant, I had two cookies in my hand. "See, Ootori, I can get cookies _any time I want._"

* * *

><p>"Er... Kaede, are you supposed to be eating that many sweets when you're sick?" Haruhi asked as I ate yet another cookie and sneezed once again. Haruhi was walking me home, since my house was on the way to her apartment.<p>

"Are you on direct orders from Ootori?" I inquired.

"Yeah...," Haruhi said. "Why do you call Kyoya-senpai 'Ootori?' You call everyone else by their first names, and you don't even call him senpai." It was true; I called everyone by their first names except Ootori.

"Since we were young, Ootori and I always called each other by our last names. When I was young and only had American friends, I found out Japanese people called each other by surnames sometimes. Ootori was my first Japanese friend, so I called him 'Ootori' just for fun. He says my surname too," I replied with thought.

"So, it's true, then? Kyoya-senpai is your friend?" Haruhi said.

"Yeah, I guess," I answered. We reached my house, and we walked up the steps. I unlocked the door. "Bye."

* * *

><p>I woke up the next day with a the worst headache ever. I gulped down an aspirin tablet and rushed to get to school.<p>

"Why didn't you miss this day of school?" Ootori asked at lunch. He grinded his teeth and glared at me.

"I haven't missed a day of school since 3rd grade, Ootori, and I intend to keep it that way," I said with my head held high as I bit into the school lunch. I didn't have time to cook myself lunch today, so I brought money with me to buy some of the school's. I refrained from spitting it out. "This cuisine is nothing but rich materials mashed together with no harmony whatsoever," I commented, gulping it down with a stone hard face.

"It's just like Kaede to judge poor food," Kaoru said.

"Seriously, Kaoru, have you ever looked into the art of cooking?" I asked. Both Hikaru's and Kaoru's eyes widened.

**"Wait... you can tell us apart?" **they said together.

I shrugged. "It's easy, right, Haruhi?" The girl nodded in agreement.

"It's nice to have a girl in the club with me," Haruhi admitted. "Kaede is not as annoying or irritating as the rest."

"Thank you, Haruhi," I grinned, leaving the boys to fend for their own.

"Do only girls make Kaede smile?" Tamaki-senpai asked, going up to our table.

"Takes a lot for boys to make me," I said, shrugging.

"Kae-chan has a beautiful smile," said Mitsukuni-senpai, with Takashi-senpai behind him.

"Thanks," I smiled, then coughed.

"I told you, Kaede, you should've stayed home today," Ootori said with a glare. "At this rate, your voice will fail."

"I'm okay. I've been to school somewhat sick before, I'll live. I'll rest at the club."

* * *

><p>"Katana-<em>kun<em> isn't here again, and Kyoya-_kun _is watching over that girl again," I heard the girls murmur amongst themselves.

"Oi, Ootori, how long are you going to deprive me of my afternoon ice cream?" I asked, sitting up on my _special _couch.

"Until you get better," Ootori said. "You know, you've been awfully irritating when you're sick."

"Nice to know I'm not when I'm healthy," I replied, standing up to go to the piano. "I'm playing piano."

* * *

><p><em>Kyoya<em>

Kaede's sickness played no effect as her music fell over the chatter of the room. It was true; she was a bit irritating when she was sick, to the point of her character going all out of whack. Everything, though, seemed okay as she played piano to her heart's content. I knew everything was wrong, though, as she hit a sour note.

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

I walked back to the couch, lying down to my original position. I took a blanket nearby and wrapped myself with it. I got a book out to read. "You know, you can just go home, Shirai; there's no need for you to stay," I heard Ootori sit down on his favorite chair.

"I like surrounding myself with people, Ootori," I yawned, then coughed. I reached for some water. I put the back of my left hand to my forehead, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

"Kaede, it's time to go," Haruhi tapped the Sleeping Beauty on the shoulder. The girl was sound asleep; none of the host club members had realized how tired and stressed the poor girl actually was. The club gathered around the pretty girl, who was snoring softly on her couch.

Mori was about to carry her by the orders of Tamaki, but they stopped as they heard Kaede talk. "If a simple secret I kept is enough for this, I don't think I trust you anymore," she muttered under her breath in English, loud enough for the hosts to hear. "You're always so inconsiderate... I can cry too.._._" the host club watched in awe as a tear streamed down Kaede's cheek. "I didn't say anything, Rei... I'm not the bad guy!" Kaede hissed, still speaking in English. Her eyelids flew open and her body jerked tremendously.

She felt the moisture on her cheek and figured out what she had just revealed.

"Don't ask," she growled hoarsely, and exited the room without a word.

* * *

><p>The host club in particular was worried for Kaede. Her fever had worsened and she was sent to the infirmary in the middle of the day. Kyoya didn't hesitate to excuse himself from class to watch over Kaede.<p>

Her eyelids snapped open again, to the faces of the host club. It was after school once more, and the music room #3 was currently taking a break for about 10 minutes. "Are you okay, Kae-chan?" asked Honey, who still was kind of scared of Kaede after her snapping at him.

"I'm fine, I guess," Kaede sat up. Then, she gave a bunch of papers to the Hitachiins and Haruhi. "This is my make up work for today; I sent my guard to grab it from my desk."

"Oh... I was wondering where your papers went," Hikaru said with thought.

"We'll give it to the teachers now," Haruhi and the Hitachiins excused themselves.

After Kaede's sleeptalking, the host club was at a loss. They hadn't known Kaede's life back in the States, but thought that it wasn't as bad as what her talk suggested. Awkward silence fell over the room. Kaede suddenly stood, reaching the height of Kyoya. "I'm going," she whispered. Then, she got her things and went.

"What happened in the states?" Haruhi asked, coming in with the Hitachiins.

* * *

><p>Kaede's fever was gone the next day, and she seemed to be her usual self again. The host club thought it was alright; maybe what she had said in her dream was just a nightmare, nothing real. Kyoya, though, was still worried.<p>

"I have to take a retest," Haruhi sighed, sitting at the lunch table with the club. "Kaede scored higher than me on the exams, and, according the deal for my scholarship, if I don't score first, I'm to be expelled."

Tamaki and the twins gasped in horror, then clung to Haruhi. "What did you get on the exams? Tell Daddy!" Tamaki cried in despair.

"105% on all of them," she said, pushing the boys away.

The twins looked confused. "That's pretty high, Haruhi. What did Kaede get?"

They all turned to the black haired girl sitting next to Kyoya. "Oh, my score? I got 200% on all of them," she said nonchalantly. All of them but Haruhi, Kyoya, and Mori gasped.

"How can you get such a high score?!" Kaoru asked.

"That's impossible!" Tamaki yelled.

"I finished each in 5 minutes, and they gave me extra points on the written since it was 'well said,'" Kaede told them, biting in her chocolate filled bread bun. Kyoya chuckled.

"You're still not recovered, are you, Kaede?" he asked.

"How does that mean she's not recovered?!" Hikaru cried.

"I can't control my score," Kaede sighed. "Haruhi, can you go with me to the office? I'll ask them if you'll be able to stay here being 2nd under me."

* * *

><p>"Oh, you're back, Katana-<em>kun<em>!" the girls cheered happily as the handsome "boy" came towards the table.

"Yeah, I was doing business for my mom," Kaede lied smoothly as always. The girls came close to her, as if telling her a secret.

"You know, Kyoya-_kun _has a girlfriend now," they said. "He was caring for her in the host club while you were away." Kaede choked on her Frappuccino.

**"We're sorry, Katana-kun!" **they all cried. Kaede was slowly turning blue. _When was I Ootori's freakin' girlfriend?! _she thought with anger.

* * *

><p>AN: And... I forgot cosplay. Oh, whatever!

The timeline is kinda messed up since this happened over about a week.

Next chapter: A real chapter, maybe. 80% chance. Don't bet on it, though!

Please review! I don't even care how brutal you are; be as brutal as Kaede, if you'd like!

-AmbiWriter-


	3. Chapter 3: Kind

A/N: I really have nothing to say, except for my disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. That is all.

Oh yeah, what the characters say isn't exact... since I don't have a script and watching it while doing this is too much work... Just enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter Three:**

**Kind**

_Kaede_

"So... Are you saying I'm not kind?" I glared at the two Hitachiins. They shrunk in fear. We were talking with each other before host club hours, and, since Ootori was busy doing whatever the heck he does, I was stuck with the twins.

"Well, no-" Hikaru started.

"-it's just that you-" Kaoru continued.

**"Are just not that kind of person," **they ended, with fear in their eyes. They started inching away. I shrugged.

"Oh well; I get that a lot," I said, standing up. Their eyes widened at my nonchalant reaction. "So... what are we doing today?"

* * *

><p>"Cosplay?" I asked, picking at my costume. It was like Kyoya's; except it had a shirt. The host club ogled.<p>

"Er... Kae-chan, you don't look like a boy anymore," Mitsukuni-senpai said, eying my chest area. The others did the same.

"_Please don't do that,_" I answered with a cold touch. While I was redressing, they went into position. When I came back out, I saw a rather confused Haruhi in front of the club. "Hey Haruhi... you're late, you know." I raked a hand through my hair, comfortable in my usual jeans and boyish shirt for host club hours.

"I thought it was April," she said, looking around. I had no idea they could pull off this tropical place. Tamaki-senpai started going on and on about _kotetsus _and the miraculous school heating system, but I started looking around with Haruhi.

* * *

><p><strong>"Shiraishi-<strong>_**kun**_**, you will not be cosplaying?" **asked the girls, looking at my outfit.

"Oh no," I said. "I'll be touring around with Haruhi for now. Call for me if you need anything." Aligning the bangs covering my right eye, I told them, "Please be patient."

**"O-of course!" **they chimed, sparkling. _How weird this school is, _I thought, turning to Haruhi and Ootori, who were talking to each other.

"The guests seem even more worked-up than usual, huh?" Haruhi commented, looking at the twincense scene the twins were doing. I almost gagged at the girls who had hearts around them.

"A little moderate exposure is popular," said Ootori. _Always the one to look for profit, _I thought. I walked up to them, but kept silent and out of sight until they finished their conversation.

"Did you come up with this tropical project, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"I have no decision-making authority. This club's policies are all laid out by the king, Tamaki. Although, I may have found it worth the effort to casually slip a photo book of Bali onto his desk," he said slyly, fixing his glasses as Haruhi looked somewhat blue. I decided it was the right time to interrupt.

"That's creepy, Ootori," I commented, making them jump. "And the way you push up your glasses is kind of geeky." Onii-san had told me that pushing your glasses in the middle was geeky and pushing them in the side was scholarly (he was a glasses guy). He was the eldest, the one who was kind, and the heir to the Shirai Company.

"What's creepy, Kaede, is sneaking up behind us," Haruhi said. She sweatdropped at my sudden appearance. "And what's with that random comment?"

"It's something I learned from Onii-san," I said, aligning my bangs again. "The one that's nice, of course. You know him, don't you, Ootori?"

He nodded. "Ryo Shirai is a good person," he commented.

"Ryo? _Refreshing?_" Haruhi asked. "Don't tell me he's like Tamaki-senpai?"

"When did you know the meaning of names?" I said.

"Nevermind that, answer the second question!"

"Oh, well," I fished in my bag for my wallet, which had a picture of him with Aki-nii. "This is him, and my other brother, Aki-nii." I pointed at the two people with dark hair; one smiling (Ryo-nii) and one scowling (Aki-nii). Haruhi gasped.

"What the...? They're so handsome!" she cried.

"Are you serious? I don't consider Aki-nii handsome... Maybe that's because he's always scowling." I smiled a little. It was good to be talking about my two brothers; even if one really was my rival. "Hey, isn't your appointment, like, now?" I said pointedly to Haruhi. She rushed to her guests.

"I could say the same for you, Shirai," Ootori said, smirking.

"Do _you _host, Ootori?" I asked, curious. "If not, I can help you with your calculations of the club's budget while I host." He flinched, since he didn't like me peeking into his precious notebook. "Because," I said with a straight face (but laughing inside), "you miscalculated the last time."

* * *

><p>We all crowded around Ootori after school, except Tamaki-senpai, who was eating ramen in the corner. "Sir, stop eating that commoners' ramen, and come help us with the dance party planning," Hikaru said.<p>

"Is Princess Kasuga taking a liking to Haruhi really bothering you that much?" asked Kaoru. He was referring to that girl I saw Haruhi with earlier, saying that "he" was her new favorite host.

"That's inconsiderate, you two," I scolded. Before I could continue, Ootori interrupted me.

"Her illness isn't something that just started, right?" he said.

"Illness?" asked Haruhi.

"Wandering host hopping disease," Hikaru explained.

"Otherwise known as the never-the-same-boy-twice disease," Kaoru added.

Ootori explained further.

"Up until last time, she was with Tama-chan, right?" Mitsukuni-senpai piped in.

"Ah, this is because he had his guest taken from him," Haruhi said in realization.

"It is not! That's not why!" Tamaki yelled angrily, rushing toward us. "I'm at the limits of my patience! Haruhi, start dressing like a girl!" I chuckled darkly. It caught the attention of the club.

"Oh, at the limits of your patience, _Tamaki? _Please stop yelling in this room, for this is a moronic affair," I said softly, but dangerously. Everyone in the room shuddered. I relaxed a bit. "Now, shut your mouth and plan the dance party."

**"Yessir!" **all of them chirped. I narrowed my eyes.

"...Did I just hear a sir?"

* * *

><p>In the end of the meeting, Haruhi found herself burdened with the task of learning how to dance. That didn't help with Tamaki's...er...condition?<p>

"Ouch," Kasugasaki said, wincing as Haruhi stepped on her toe. It was after business hours, and Haruhi was practicing with Kasugasaki (much to Tamaki-senpai's... madness).

"Sorry," she apologized. They continued doing this, back and forth. Ootori stood beside me, looking over their lesson.

"Does this count as a dancing lesson?" I asked, inhaling a sharp breath as Haruhi once again stubbed poor Kasugasaki's toe. I reverted my gaze to Tamaki-senpai, who was in the corner, sulking. "Look, he's planting mushrooms again!" I pointed to his direction.

**"Tono's sad because he didn't get to practice with Haruhi,"** the twins said, coming up behind me. I bonked their right arms.

"What did I say, you two? You get hit on your dominant arm if you come up behind me," I threatened them quietly. They shook their heads and waved their hands, unable to speak under my steady gaze. I didn't get to scold them as Haruhi tripped and ended up pinning Kasugasaki to the ground.

"Sorry," Haruhi apologized. I almost threw up when she started flirting with her.

* * *

><p>I raised my eyebrows when I eavesdropped inconspicuously on a conversation between Haruhi and Kasugasaki.<p>

"Oh my! You got new cups? Ginori, right?" she complimented, looking at her green cup with bright eyes.

"You do indeed have a keen eye," Ootori said, coming out of nowhere. "They arrived only yesterday. Lately, our club has been seeking to improve its tea sets."

"I see. It's a nice color. Very lovely," she remarked, still looking at her cup. In the corner of my eye, I saw Tamaki-senpai perk up.

"You must really like tableware, huh?" asked Haruhi with that innocent way of hers.

_"_N-n-not really, no, I don't," Kasugasaki stammered. "My word, what are you talking about?" Wow, bad actor.

Then, this guy named Suzushima came in with teacups, and Kasugasaki started acting weirdly. Really, she needs acting lessons. He left, saying that he'll be studying in England soon. It clearly had an effect on the girl.

"Are you enjoying the host club?" asked Tamaki-senpai, who, in my eyes, looked serious for once.

"Are you close with that man?" Haruhi chimed, coming toward Kasugasaki.

"N-n-no, not really," she stammered, again. One thing came to another, and she slid out of the room. Then, the host club started talking about how Suzushima is Kasugasaki's fiancé. It really was clear: they were in love, beginning in their childhood.

"All in all, he's plain. That's it," Ootori summarized. Haruhi and I thought the same thing: _they're all but merciless against other boys._

Like always, we somehow ended up with a plan to help the couple. I sat down, subconsciously remembering what they were saying, and rested my head on my hand. _I have a splitting headache again, _I thought, looking through my bag for aspirin. I had my eyes checked to find out the reason for these horrible migraines, and the doctor had said it was caused by stress and something about having exceedingly detailed eyesight.

After all that was over, I felt a tapping on my shoulder. Ootori was behind me, with a genuine smile.

"Care to dance?" he asked courteously, bowing a 90 degree bow.

"Sure," I said, not curtseying, but nodding my head in recognition. The two beginners weren't dancing; now it was time for the advanced to take the floor. We took position. "Are you better than before?"

"Of course."

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

The host club gathered to see Kyoya and Kaede, who were gracefully dancing in perfect sync. Kaede's hair was mesmerizing; they followed its waves as Kyoya dipped her perfectly, her eyes closed and expression in total peace.

Anyone could see that Kaede was doing most of the awe-inspiring moves, but Kyoya was in the background, leading, making the floor all Kaede's. They all clapped at the end of the performance. The boys stared as Kaede brushed her somewhat tousled hair with her fingers, letting it all fall to her left shoulder. She laughed. "Dang, Ootori, you've actually gotten better," she said, her eyes filled with laughter. All of the boys blushed at the sight of a truly happy Kaede. Music was really almost the only way to make her laugh and smile.

"Nice to see you normal for once," Kyoya remarked, smirking. Everyone else, though, looked confused. Kaede walked to her backpack and got out a cheap looking brush.

"I going to fix my hair," she said, walking out of the room. The host club wasted no time to question Kyoya.

"What do you mean, Kaede's finally normal?" Tamaki asked eagerly. Kyoya suddenly turned serious, pushing up his glasses (the nerdy way).

"Kaede used to always be laughing and smiling," he said, with truthful eyes. All of them gasped.

**"Really?" **they all asked incredulously. **"She barely even smiles!"**

"I know... she's changed."

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

When I got back, I saw all of them in their places, preparing for the dance. They all seemed... suspicious. I kept it to myself.

* * *

><p>The next week, I found myself dressed as a girl (ha, bad for Haruhi) in the host club dance party. I stood beside Ootori, constantly peeking into his notes and being pushed a bit away by the protective boy. When it got boring, I got my own leather notebook and began observing the place like Ootori.<p>

"My little lambs, who have gathered here tonight," Tamaki-senpai started grandly, "Ouran Host Club bids you a fond welcome... to this dance party." He elegantly bowed, and the chandeliers turned on, one by one, creating a nice effect. The orchestra, where I played first chair violin, played (without me, though), and the girls clapped politely.

The host club bowed, plus me, who had changed into a boy for the opening, and Ootori said, "We invite you to enjoy yourselves to your heart's content, as you dance with the host club members." He added, "In addition, the guest who is recognized as the best dancer, as chosen as tonight's queen, will receive an impassioned kiss on the cheek by the king."

All eyes reverted to Tamaki-senpai, who, so charmingly, said, "Good luck to you... baby." Some girls fainted, and some had hearts around them.

I looked to Haruhi, who looked miserable. The twins came up behind her. **"Your enthusiasm is low, Haruhi," **they commented.

"I'm not used to this kind of thing," Haruhi confessed, looking to the ground. "The only dance party I've been to is the _bon-odori _festival in the neighborhood park."

**"You probably can't call that a dance party," **Ootori and I said together, writing in our notebooks.

"Well, you're here anyway, why don't you try the cuisine?" Ootori suggested, not even looking up from his notes. "There's a real spread." From that, Haruhi looked interested.

"A spread?" she asked. "L-like with fancy tuna?" Aw, she looked so adorable with her innocent look. The reaction, though, was really weird. Ootori's pencil snapped, the twins and the third years comforted a beet-red Haruhi, and Tamaki-senpai ordered Ootori to get fancy tuna there.

"Dang, you host club guys are too indulgent," I said, raking my hair.

* * *

><p>"You're a good dancer, Momoka," I complimented, dancing with one of Haruhi's guests, since she was kidnapped by the twins after going out on the dance floor with Kasugasaki. "I'll recommend you to Haruhi, if you'd like." The girl blushed profusely.<p>

"N-nah, I'll stay here with Katana-kun, if you wouldn't mind," she stuttered. I took on a soft look.

"Oh, it's okay. I'd think I was protecting you from stubbed toes," I laughed. She blushed even more. We separated, seeing the long line of girls waiting to dance with me. "Well, girls, I have to go, but I might be back." I flipped my hair, aligning the bangs covering my right eye. The girls had hearts in their eyes, and were blushing.

**"O-okay!"**

* * *

><p>"You're quite popular with the girls," Ootori said, as I got out of the changing rooms dressed as a girl. When the club laid eyes on me, they all were surprised.<p>

"It's not my fault you guys just left the poor girls with no one to dance with," I replied, flipping some unruly hair out of my left eye. "So... let's start the stupid plan."

* * *

><p>Haruhi emerged from her changing room with a wig on and a dress. It really was a cute sight. Then, Tamaki-senpai came in. "Hey, what's the big idea, having everyone here?" he scolded. "Who's look after the guests-" He was cut off as he saw Haruhi. He stared.<p>

**"What do you think, Tono?"** the twins asked, looking at Haruhi next to the staring blonde idiot.

"Haru-chan, you look cute!" Mitsukuni-senpai cried. Haruhi walked into the hall, rather weirdly.

"Dude, you are walking the weirdest walk in the history of walks," I said, smirking. "Heels can't be that bad; I wear them all the time." The guys looked to me, the more _trained _girl, with wide eyes.

**"Maybe Haruhi should spend more time with **_**her,**_**" **they murmured amongst themselves. I put my hands on my hips.

"I'm going to ignore that for once," I said, and then shouted to Haruhi. "Good luck, and you better not mess this up!"

* * *

><p>"You know, I read you guys' love letter for the plan,' I said nonchalantly, sitting with the twins and Ootori as Haruhi and Tamaki-senpai went through with the plan. "Anything with 'love-love-love' or 'I want to rendezvous with you on Noah's Ark' can make any boy think that the girl is a nut-head."<p>

**"How are we supposed to know what to put?" **the twins asked.

"You guys are so inconsiderate; don't you ever _read _your love letters?" I said.

"Sure we do," Ootori spoke for the three. I sighed.

"...You three have such a low opinion for girls," I commented, sitting back on my chair. "What would you do if I was the standard girl?" The twins exchanged glances.

**"All boys would die," **they immediately replied.

"Very true."

* * *

><p>In the end, the couple was together, and I experienced seeing a gay kiss right before my eyes. Accidental, of course. Tamaki-senpai cried and cried, and I shouted to him, "You clumsy guy, Tamaki..."<p>

Ootori and I congratulated the new couple in their engagement. "Kaede-chan," Kasugasaki said, "Are you and Kyoya-kun dating?" Suzushima and her looked to us with big eyes. I scratched my head, _How the heck did it come to this?_

"Yes, we are," Ootori said, humoring the two. I stared at him, but his look had no malice. I won't bother him about this, then.

"Oh, wait," I exclaimed, looking in my bag for something. "I forgot, I wanted to give this to you two." I held out a teacup, with a scenery of England painted on it.

The two gasped in delight, and Ootori looked at it in interest. "This must've been expensive!" Suzushima said, observing the teacup. I smiled warmly.

"Nah, I did it myself," I told them. Their eyes widened.

"But-but-but this is professional work!" Suzushima cried. "Are you pursuing art?"

"Actually, no, but it's in my genes. My family is talented in many ways," I said, grinning. "If you'd like, I'll give you a couple more teacups made by myself."

**"Really?! Thanks!"**

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

"So... Kaede really can be kind...," Hikaru admitted, looking at Kaede giving the couple beautiful teacups she designed herself.

"If she could be like that more often..." Kaoru said wistfully. The two mischievous twins looked at each other. They just had an epiphany.

* * *

><p>AN: So... what are they going to plan? I'm not going to do the third episode, because I want to do this three part problem called, "Kaede's [Private] Enemies." Maybe... her time in America will be revealed (finally)!

Review, review, review... I write slower without any comments, brutal or nice.

-AmbiWriter-


	4. Private Enemy: Playboy

A/N: This is going to be awesome. Recently, I've been having a writer's block with my other fics, but I get a lot of ideas for this one. Heheheheh..

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. I_ do _own my OC's.

Not a real episode. Nope. Nada.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Shadow Queen<span>**

**Kaede's [Private] Enemies:**

**[Private] Enemy #1: Playboy**

_Third Person_

Ever since Kyoya had told the host club about Kaede's former self, the guys (and girl) were on a quest to make her happy once again.

They constantly had conspicuous meetings practically right before Kaede, who had gotten the vague idea that they were going to do something stupid. After host club hours, everyone except the dark haired, intimidating girl met at a commoners' café to make plans. They constantly moved locations; they somehow were found by the infuriatingly smart Kaede.

"She's onto us!" Tamaki cried after finding Kaede outside the door of their most recent location; the fast food place near Haruhi's apartment. To their despair, she walked in, spotting them immediately.

"Hey, guys," she greeted casually. The host club struggled to meet her casual greeting. A telepathic message rose above the group: _Act natural!_

"Hey, Shirai," Kyoya matched Kaede.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" _How. Did. She. Know. SO EASILY?! _"But, since I know whatever you're going to do will be super idiotic and won't work unless the world fell into ruins... I'm not even going to question it."

* * *

><p>"We've been working on this for some time now, and we haven't started on our plan!" Hikaru exclaimed, losing hope. The host club was walking with their heads down to their mansions after that encounter with Kaede.<p>

"Don't worry, Hika-chan; the plan will be applied tomorrow," Honey said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Haruhi looked in horror at her [moronic] friends. They were too eager to make Kaede happy!

_So much for striving to make girls happy, _Haruhi thought, _it looks like this is for their own amusement. _Haruhi, though, wasn't worried. If this plan was to backfire, the boys would be dead. But, as a girl and Kaede's closest friend, her actions would have been deemed forced because of the guys. It wasn't actually far from the truth, though.

* * *

><p>It was clear Haruhi hadn't been briefed thoroughly of the plan, for when she spotted a familiar blue Shirai Company cellphone in Hkaru's hand, she freaked out. "You guys stole Kaede's smartphone?!" she said in the rich restaurant they were in.<p>

"It's for the good of all of us," Tamaki answered solemnly. "Now, Kaoru, will you do the honors?"

"Yes, boss," the red head took the phone in his hands and turned it on. All of them, even Haruhi, leaned in to see the screen. "It's... locked." They all fell out of their chairs, except for Kyoya.

"Here, let me see it," he said, taking the phone. He typed four numbers, and it unlocked.

"How did you know how to open Kaede's phone?" Haruhi asked, dreading the answer.

"It's the first four digits of her social security number."

"How the heck do you know that?!" They ignored Haruhi and went on with their ridiculous plan. Kyoya did the honors; he looked into Kaede's contacts to find any friends of hers.

**"None?!"** they all cried.

"Wait; let's check her voicemails for any friends, then," Kyoya proposed. They all nodded, and found five voicemails from the same number. "These are all during school and host club hours; she must've not had the time to reply to her friend."

"C'mon, let's call the friend; maybe the person will make Kaede like the way she was!"

* * *

><p><em><span>~Plan Start~<span>_

_Kaede_

During host club hours the next day, I was requested by Tamaki-senpai to stay as a girl and help clean the host club room. I, who did not have anything against sweeping and dusting, readily obliged. I had known from the start that they had stolen my phone; which had miraculously appeared on the table the day after I reportedly "lost" it.

I sighed, taking a break and drinking water after sweeping for an hour. It was now after club hours, and I was annoyed at the work they gave me. I plopped onto my favorite couch; the one where I had spent my days resting when I was sick. After being satisfied, I walked to the broom to begin sweeping again. Before I continued cleaning, swift hands covered my eyes. "Guess who?" a familiar voice asked in English. Recognizing it immediately, I swerved and slapped the guy so hard he fell to the ground.

It was Justin Permit; my worst enemy.

* * *

><p>I had slapped him so hard he was unconscious. I inwardly patted myself on the back. The rush of adrenaline had been nice. Now, though, I was crossing my arms and glaring dangerously at a greatly intimidated host club. "What is the meaning of this?" I said, dangerously soft.<p>

"W-w-w-well... w-w-we thought if you met one of y-y-your old f-friends, then y-y-you'll be happy," Tamaki-senpai stuttered.

"_Idiot,_" I said, my long bangs creating a scary effect that I was a demon. "That guy is not at all my friend."

"Really? That hurts." Justin was up again, getting enough strength to sit up. He had a big red welt on his cheek, and a bump on his head.

The hosts' eyes widened, realizing that Justin wasn't actually bad looking, but coming to the conclusion that they were way more handsome than him. Haruhi, though, was confused. She didn't know how to speak English as well as the hosts or me, who doesn't have any trace of a Japanese accent when talking English. "Get out of here," I growled angrily. "You have no _right _to be here, standing in front of me."

"Oh, so I'm a commoner now, is that what you're saying?" the guy said in English, standing up. The hosts gasped as I ran lightning speed, taking Justin by the collar and pinning him hard against the wall.

"You can't affect any people in this room, and Haruhi is protected from you," I said. "I will say this once more: Get _out_!" I practically threw the boy in the direction of the exit.

He was pushed as the doors, with the help of my guards, closed.

I turned to the host club, who were all looking very frightened at my dark aura. "What...in...the...world?!" I shouted, glaring at them. "Don't get my phone and call one of my freakin' worst enemies!"

"Wai...what?" Hikaru said.

"We never told you-" Kaoru continued.

**"About using your phone and calling the guy!" **they finished together. I sighed.

"I knew all along you guys were doing something weird, but I didn't want to believe you would call _Justin!_" I yelled. Ootori, though, seemed unfazed. Actually, he looked a bit mad.

"Is he your ex-boyfriend or something from back in the states?" he asked, looking vexed. I grabbed his collar and pulled him close so I could glare right into his eyes. He flinched.

"That horrible playboy was never my boyfriend, and _never will,_" I growled. Ootori seemed somewhat uplifted by that statement, but didn't look in the least calm. For goodness' sakes, I was pulling him close by the collar and growling at him. I released him, sighing. "I'm going."

I exited rather dramatically afterwards.

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

For a second, it was silent. But then, much to Haruhi's surprise, she found everyone except Mori and Kyoya cheering. **"One step closer to making her happy again!" **they cheered. The commoner girl sighed.

"How the heck is she even near happy?!" Haruhi yelled. The four people continued with their happy dance.

"Because! We can know what happened and why she's like this now!" Tamaki cried. They twirled like morons.

"First, we should ask Justi-chan!" Honey chimed.

"Wait, what?!"

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

I lay in bed awake, thinking about what the host club had done. What were they thinking, bringing Justin? _Out of all people..._ I sat up, looking for my old kicking dummy.

I took it out, the worn thing, and began... _killing it. _"Ugh!" I groaned, finally ripping the body into pieces. I swear, my guards inched away from me after that.

I buried my face into my hands, willing myself to cry. At this frustrating moment, colliding with my past in America, I still couldn't cry.

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

The next day, since it was Saturday, the host club had enough time to find where Justin was staying at. They were all dressed in commoner clothes, Haruhi in girl ones, and rode in Tamaki's limousine to his hotel. They never thought that he would be rich.

"Whoa...," Haruhi said, looking around the shiny place. "I didn't think that Justin would be rich too!"

"Let's just go," Kyoya said, leading the way inside. At the counter was a girl, thankfully, who looked rather stressed. "Hello, may we find where Justin Permit?" he asked charmingly. The poor girl, bombarded by cute boys, could only nod and write the number on paper. "Thank you."

They all followed Kyoya to Room 194, Haruhi asking on the way, "How did you know his last name?"

"Sources," was all he said, since they reached his room.

"Justi-chan's room is loud," Honey said. It was true; some weird dub step music was playing, and it was _loud._

Kyoya knocked on the door. "Come in!" they heard him say in English. When they opened the door, they saw half naked girls wrapping themselves around Justin.

"What the...?" Tamaki said, his eyes widening at the dirty sight.

"So... I see Kaede's bodyguards she seduced are here in my hotel room," he sneered, "Should I be graced to your presence?"

Mori stepped up with a dark aura. "Don't talk about her that way," he said. Justin rolled his eyes, and spotted Haruhi in the group.

"Oh, did they send me a cute one?" he said, eyeing her. "Come, my dear." He waved her over.

"No way," Haruhi retorted in choppy English. Justin raised his eyebrows, standing up from his position. The girls whined, for they wanted more of him.

"I love the ones who rebel," he said, coming closer to Haruhi. Tamaki started to try to protect her, but he was cut off by a familiar low voice.

"You touch Haruhi, Justin, you'll regret it," they heard Kaede's low, cutting edge tone. She was in a defensive stance around the innocent girl. She was glaring daggers at the girls, who ran, squeaking. Then, she gazed in Justin's eyes.

The guy whimpered. The host club watched in amazement as the playboy fell weak to the ground. "D-don't s-stare i-into m-my eyes," Justin said weakly.

In that split second, the club remembered that moment when Kaede had gazed into Justin's eyes. She had revealed to him, they realized, both of her eyes.

* * *

><p>From the day they knew her, they never saw her right eye. But, after seeing the effect it had on Justin, they were even more scared of her.<p>

"What are you guys looking at?" Kaede asked in a hoarse voice, finding Tamaki and the twins staring at her.

**"N-nothing!" **they cried. After the encounter with Justin's playboy side, they found themselves being treated to fast food by Kaede.

"I can't believe you guys went to his hotel room," she sighed, brushing her bangs with her hand. "With Haruhi, too." She looked worriedly to Haruhi. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she squeaked. Tamaki was still enraged by it.

_How dare that guy touch Haruhi?! _he thought.

"Why were you guys there?" Kaede said, popping another fry in her mouth.

"Actually, we were looking to find out why you were so different after coming back from the States," Kyoya replied truthfully, for once not in his notebook.

"Here," Kaede said, putting down her coke on the table. "I'll tell you the story with Justin."

**"Really?" **they all asked eagerly.

"Well, if I don't tell it, who knows what you guys will do?"

* * *

><p><span><strong>Story Start<strong>

_I met Justin because he was dating my best friend, Rei. I didn't know him before they started dating, and I got really frustrated. All of my friends hated the guy, saying that he was rude to them but nice to Rei. I immediately didn't like him._

_Rei tried to make me go on a double date with her and Justin, pairing me up with one of his friends. I rejected, knowing that it was too young for me to date, her too._

_I always asked her what was good with the guy. She responded, saying, "He's nice, popular, plays football, and has a 4.0 GPA."_

_I answered back, "Is that all you know about him?"_

_"..." She didn't reply back to that question. When I found some information on him, I knew it was off. He wasn't normal. I knew he was a rich kid disguising with the commoner kids (no offense, Haruhi) from the time I saw his ridiculous profile._

_Curious, I met up with her and Justin, bringing his friend, wanting to know who he _really _was. It was the wrong thing to do. He took interest in me._

_"Who is this?" he asked, eyeing me like he did every girl._

_"My friend, Kaede," Rei answered, oblivious to his perverted action. "Kaede, this is Justin."_

_"Whatever," I said nonchalantly, pulling Rei away from Justin. "Do you truly know him?" I hissed._

_"Yeah!" she said enthusiastically. "His favorite color is red, he loves ducks-"_

_"No, I mean what matters," I interrupted. Her eyes widened. "You don't know a thing about that guy." She slapped me, right then and there._

_"I don't know what you have against my boyfriend," she threatened, "but stop it right now!" With that, I glared at her._

_"What I have against him," I growled, her shrinking, "is that he doesn't like you as much as you like him."_

_At the time, Rei dismissed it like any of our fights. Except, at the end of the double date, I found myself alone with Justin. Right there, he made a move like what you guys saw in the hotel room._

_Rei interrupted at that part, and she ran away, crying. Afterwards, she blamed it all on me. A rift split through us, and she ignored me, which wasn't hard, considering we went to different schools._

_Actually, what bothered me the most was that they kept dating after that._

**Story End**

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

**"Whoa, wait. That's why you're so emotionless sometimes?" **the twins asked incredulously. I shook my head.

"No, but it built up to more. Rei eventually found out about his fortune and used it against me," I said, standing up.

"Can you tell us about that?" Haruhi asked.

"Not today," I told her. "But I'll tell you this: Rei got another boyfriend, one she loved profusely. Let's just say that he broke up for her and confessed his love to me the next day." They all gasped. "Of course, I rejected him, but Rei still didn't forgive me. All in all, I moved to another country partially because I wanted to escape those who acted on emotion."

"But, Kaede," Haruhi said, "Why did you mean earlier, 'You can't affect any people in this room, and Haruhi is protected from you?'" I smiled warmly.

"That's a story for another day," I replied, walking out of the restaurant with my fries in my hand.

* * *

><p>AN: What was that? One step closer to knowing what happened to her, right?

Oh, if you read my other fanfic, you'll realize that the other girl also had something against her friend's boyfriends. What can I say; I don't really like untrustworthy boys dating my friends.

Thanks, mutemuia, justaislinn, and Just-a-Rando for reviewing!

Justaislinn: I do realize the plot currently is static, but I hope with this chapter it'll start progressing a bit.

Please review!

-AmbiWriter-


	5. Private Friend: Transfer

A/N: Super vague spoiler (don't hate me for this): this isn't another enemy. See? Vague!

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC.

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Kaede's [Private] Friends:**

**Transfer**

_Third Person_

With so many holes in Kaede's story, the host club constantly tried squeezing it out of her. All of the poking inquiries were met with a deathly glare, something that they knew might potentially kill them if glared at with both eyes. Every single time, they were forced to retreat.

"What happened back there with Justin?" Haruhi asked her best friend (she and Kaede had already acquired the title) Kaede, who was once again reading another huge book in the library, called the _Iliad. _You see, she already finished the _Odyssey_ yesterday (and started it yesterday).

Kaede closed the book, done, and said, "Hmm?" Haruhi repeated her question. "Oh, I convinced him to go back to America."

"For some reason, I think that's not the whole story," Haruhi muttered, Kaede hearing her because of her sharp senses.

"That's right; it's not the whole story."

"Okay, then answer this: why did Justin go on his knees when you gazed in his eyes with both of yours?" Kaede sighed, and Haruhi wondered if she had gone too far. To her surprise, though, she answered.

"My eyes have this weird effect on people," she confessed, aligning her bangs that cover her right eye as she always did. "When I was young, though, I didn't cover it. It wasn't as severe; if you didn't look directly at my eyes it wouldn't do anything.

"If I look into someone's eyes with both of mine, I can read your emotion and anything that is on your mind." Kaede paused, taking a breath. "Also, with my own emotion, I can affect your state of mind, like I did Justin. If I do it too much, it could potentially damage your way of thinking, like having intense paranoia."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "Whoa," was all she could say.

"I know? It's like a super power, almost," Kaede grinned boyishly. "That's why if you cross the line with me, you might get the evil eye!" She laughed at her joke, as Haruhi slowly inched away from her.

"..."

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

"Katana-_kun_, you haven't been here lately!" one of my regular girls pouted.

"Yeah, Kyoya-_kun_'s girlfriend has been here instead," another chimed in.

"Ootori's business is his," I said coldly, taking out my leather notebook. In the corner of my eye, the girls had hearts in their eyes. What the heck...?

My hand freely flowed, sketching the surroundings; which included an overexcited Mitsukuni-senpai and a rather gross scene of twincest in the corner. I gave it a special touch, shading and making intricate patterns, giving the girls hearts in their eyes and Mitsukuni-senpai flowers around him.

My guests peeked over my shoulder. **"Whoa...," **they all said, looking at my sketch. The others gathered to see my drawing.

"This... is professional work," Haruhi exclaimed in awe.

I laughed good naturedly. "Really? My friends back in America always criticized it," I said.

**"We would, but we would be lying," **the twins muttered.

"This is magnificent! We must frame it and put it on the wall!" Tamaki-senpai said grandly, snatching the sketchbook from my hands. He flipped through the pages. No, it had my thoughts!

With lightning speed, I grabbed my notebook before he could go into much detail. "Don't... _look _through my notebook," I said. He nodded.

"I... saw a goat," he said, a bit woozy. I jumped back, aware that I had probably looked into his eyes.

"Oops," I inhaled sharply. "Unintentional." I looked back to everyone.

"Goats?" Mitsukuni-senpai questioned cutely.

"They're my favorite animal," I explained. All of them looked to me with wide eyes.

**"Even after that, Katana-**_**kun **_**is cool...," **they said in awe. **"Sugoi!"**

* * *

><p>Tamaki-senpai, to everyone's horror, fainted after that brief episode with the notebook. We all sat in the infirmary, crowding the almost drunken like Tamaki on the bed. "It's not my fault the guy stole my notebook. With all of my private thoughts in it, it was a reflex for my to show both eyes at the time," I retorted, fighting off the wary glances I was getting.<p>

**"This is good stuff," **I heard the twins say from the back of the room. I turned to them, and, to my surprise, I saw them reading in my writing tablet (thankfully not my leather notebook) my dad helped make as a digital notebook. I stood slowly from my chair, the other hosts watching me, frightened, and the twins, not noticing my black aura, engrossed in my tablet.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" I asked, coming up from behind. They both jumped, stammering for an excuse. I pulled my tablet from their grasp. I sighed. "What was good?" They all were surprised at my reaction.

"W-well, I personally liked the poems," Kaoru squeaked. Really?

"I liked the story about the Heaven called Haven," Hikaru said.

"That's satisfactory," I replied, and they exhaled the breath that they were holding in. "_But, _the next time you decide to snatch this tablet, I suggest you read page 56."

**"W-what's on page 56?" **the twins stammered, holding on to each other tightly for the dreaded answer.

"'The Melancholy of the Girl Who Read Too Much.'"

* * *

><p>I let my hair down, sighing after yet another day of the host club. It didn't seem like I had been at Ouran for only two weeks...<p>

"What up, Haruhi?" I asked the brunette girl passing by in the room, carrying a bunch of heavy boxes.

"Hey, Kaede," she replied, barely having the strength to hold them any longer.

"What the heck are you carrying?" I said. "Did the idiots tell you to get that?"

"Yeah," she answered. She was caught off balance, and I rushed to carry the boxes. In the end of those five seconds, I was balancing the boxes on my head and hands.

"These aren't heavy," I told her, revelling on how good the pressure felt on my head. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"...Sure," she said uncertainly.

As I took the boxes into the Dark Magic Club's Room (I don't know why, though... Haruhi said it was because Tamaki-senpai was too scared to do it himself), someone other than the idiots came in. Actually, three familiar people.

"Sachiko?" I asked, my eyes glowing, seeing my best friend and her two cousins. "Hoshi and Haruo?"

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

"You're Kaede's best friend?!" Tamaki said in accented English. The host club was curious as to Kaede's _nice _life back in the States, but didn't expect her to just come up to the door.

"Yeah," Sachiko responded, a bit red in the presence of the host club. "And these are my cousins, Hoshi and Haruo. We're transferring here." I jumped up.

"Wait, really?!" Kaede said, glowing.

"Do you guys have a crush on Kaede-nee-san?" asked Hoshi rather randomly.

**"Sh-she just spoke in Japanese!" **the twins said in horror, pointing at the girl.

_They didn't answer the question..., _Hoshi thought, sweatdropping.

"Shut your mouths, you two," Kaede told them, sitting back. She changed to English. "Why did you guys suddenly transfer here, anyways?"

"Justin told us you were here," Haruo replied.

"When were you guys friends with that playboy?" Kaede narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"He just...," he hesitated. "Rei told Sachiko, actually..." Kaede didn't flinch at the sound of Rei's name. Instead, she stood up.

"How did you guys get enough money for a transfer here in Japan?" she asked.

"Hoshi's father, my uncle, is pretty rich. I'm going to Class 1-B here, and Hoshi and Haruo will be going to that middle school around here," Sachiko said.

"Do you guys all know how to speak Japanese?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>They continued with the introductions, and, soon, the three knew the host club guys' names.<p>

Kaede left first, to go to a piano competition that afternoon. Sachiko and her cousins were left to fend off the host club's questions themselves. Kaede knew of the prying questions they were probably going to ask after she left, but she didn't mind since it was a chance for her Japanese American friends to practice Japanese.

Haruhi, though, observed carefully from the sidelines. _Even Kaede's friends from America are freakin' handsome, _she thought with a sweatdrop.

_Haruo could be a contribution to the club, _Kyoya noted during the whole thing. The guy was handsome, no doubt. Hoshi and Sachiko were beautiful too.

"...So this is Kaede's true self?" Hoshi commented. "She's always been a bit jumpy in the States."

"She teases people too much," Haruo winced, being a victim of it himself.

Sachiko remained silent; she didn't know how to talk to the ridiculously handsome guys, and, usually, Kaede was there to support her. She had barely survived without her in America, but, with the current circumstances, she thought she would die of blushing.

**"Really? Kaede is more of a lone wolf, cool type here," **the twins said bluntly. **"Except for hanging out with Haruhi."**

The three new people reverted their gazes to the cute "boy" next to Tamaki. They forgot, rather moronically, to tell them that she was a girl. Kaede, like the girl she is, knew this, but kept quiet about it.

* * *

><p>"How come you find ways to get money, even though you're rich?" Haruhi asked the next morning in the library.<p>

"My parents are rich, not me," Kaede said, not looking up from her new book, _Emma. _"Anyways, it keeps me satisfied that I get at least $200 a year from people that aren't family or friend." She paused. "Hey... Do you think Sachiko got lost trying to find this library?"

* * *

><p>"Where is library D?" Sachiko asked a passing girl, fixing her glasses.<p>

"That way," the girl pointed to the right.

"Arigatou (Thank you)," she said with a somewhat thick American accent. She rushed to meet Kaede and Haruhi. To her surprise, she was stopped by a tapping on her shoulder.

"Look at your map, Sachiko," she heard a familiar low voice behind her. Sachiko turned to see Haruhi and Kaede. "The bell's ringing in a couple minutes. I'll show you to Room 1-B."

* * *

><p>Haruhi and Sachiko struggled to meet Kaede's confident, steady strides to Sachiko's homeroom. The shorter girls wiped off their sweat as they entered the room.<p>

The occupants stared in wonder at Kaede, practically ignoring Sachiko and Haruhi. "It's Kyoya-senpai's girlfriend; Miss Perfect!" they all cried.

Rumors had spread fast around the school about her and Kyoya, and she already was quite popular. She was known for being the cool type like Kyoya, and her intellect was already well known. Although, the "Miss Perfect" nickname was not exactly something Kaede liked. She didn't consider it being humble - she was rather arrogant, anyways - she just didn't like the name, for it stressed her out.

"I'm not Ootori's girlfriend," Kaede said. "And I'm not Miss Perfect either. I'm just here for my friend." They all nodded eagerly, wanting to know who it was. Sachiko came from behind her, blushing. "Blushing is stupid," Kaede whispered to her in English.

Sachiko exhaled sharply. "Good for you," she replied in Japanese.

"You have a _really thick _American accent," Kaede went on. "We'll have to fix that."

Before Sachiko could retort, the bell rang. "C'mon, Kaede, we have to get to class," Haruhi beckoned.

"Ok," Kaede replied. "Bye, Sachiko! See you in the host club room!" Then, the two exited.

* * *

><p>"How come Kaede got to skip out on the math lesson?" Hikaru pouted.<p>

"The math teacher is so strict; he makes us do so much work!" Kaoru complained.

The twins, Haruhi, and Kaede were all walking to the lunch tables, and Hikaru and Kaoru were whining again about the strict math teacher.

**"Even Haruhi has a hard time in the class!" **the two cried, looking to a serious Haruhi immersed in a math book.

"It's easy; you just have to understand it," Kaede yawned. "You won't learn by reading the book, Haruhi, you learn by figuring out how to do the equation yourself." Haruhi looked up from the textbook.

"It's easy for you to say, Kaede; you got to skip out on class and grade sensei's papers!" Haruhi said.

"I did my work early, like always," Kaede replied indifferently. "And it's not my fault I'm the 'go to girl' to sensei." When they reached the cafeteria, Haruhi and Kaede sat at their usual table and the twins went in line for a school lunch. Tamaki, Mori, and Honey appeared afterward.

"Where's Kyoya-senpai?" asked Haruhi, searching the group of people.

"He got a little delayed," Tamaki replied, showing them where he was. Kyoya stood at the corner of the cafeteria with a girl making a move on him.

Kaede chuckled. "Seems like that girl is hitting on Ootori," she said with an amused look on her face. "She's probably from 1-B, since I announced that I wasn't Ootori's girlfriend to that class."

The host club looked a bit confused. They thought that a romantic relationship had bloomed between Kaede and Kyoya, since they seemed rather close to each other. They never imagined that Kaede would be so calm and collected - oh wait, no, they expected that.

"Speaking of 1-B, where is Sachiko?" Kaede looked around for her short friend.

"I'm right here," said Sachiko, approaching the club. She was clad in the green uniform.

"Wow, you're stuck with the uniform," Kaede commented. "I got off the hook." She gestured to her collared white blouse and grey vest, skinny jeans, and a scarf that wrapped around her neck and draped her right shoulder.

The twins nodded in approval. **"At least Kaede has a good sense of style," **the two remarked to Kaede. Although, she wasn't at her previous spot.

"Where's Kae-chan?" Honey asked.

Then, a dreadful shriek filled the air. "Kyoya-_kun,_ you _idiot!_" a girl yelled. "So you _are _dating Kaede Shirai!" Kyoya was startled; he thought he had _gently _rejected the girl's confession, so he didn't expect her to shout at him with tears in her eyes.

All of the attention was now focused on the two. Murmurs were heard among the crowd, like, "So, the rumors are true?" and "Kyoya-_kun _is already taken?"

"I thought that this was a confession; not a drama show," Kaede came up from behind the girl. She jumped at the cold voice. "I'm not Ootori's girlfriend, if he told you that, he's lying. Face the facts; I'm not the reason he rejected you. He rejected you for who-knows-what." The girl was flabbergasted.

"You can't talk to me like that!" she whined. Kaede aligned her bangs, looking like death himself.

"Sure I can; I just did."

* * *

><p>"Man, Kaede; you're as mean as ever," Sachiko mumbled as Tamaki, Kyoya, Kaede, Haruhi, and her walked back to their classes.<p>

"I hate drama," Kaede shrugged. "And it's not my fault Ootori can't handle a girl." She glanced furtively to Kyoya, who was rolling his eyes.

"It's just because the girl can't handle being rejected," Kyoya retorted.

"You at least have to control her words," Kaede sniffed. All but Sachiko looked at her incredulously. "It made a huge commotion."

**"We're not questioning that," **they all said.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe this, Haruhi?!" Tamaki cried, glomping the poor girl.<p>

**"A chance-o!" **the twins said in accented English. It was the remake of that "support group" for Kaede, except the objective was different: it was to find out the whole story that happened in the States. They had become relatively smart for their meeting place; they used the twins' mansion (a place Kaede can't go) for it this time.

"First we have to ask Sa-chan what happened!" Honey exclaimed.

**"Yes!"**

* * *

><p>AN: I admit, this chapter was all over the place. But... oh well.

Please review! I need feedback!

Oh yeah, Hoshi's a girl and Haruo's a boy. Just to be clear.

-AmbiWriter-


	6. Private Enemy: Rei

A/N: Thanks, mutemuia, for reviewing for that last chapter. I'll answer your question.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC.

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Kaede's [Private] Enemies:**

**Rei**

_Third Person_

Sachiko, being around Haruhi since "he" is a close friend to Kaede, has developed some feelings for "him." No one was aware of this (except Kaede and Kyoya), and nobody had realized that she didn't know that Haruhi was a boy (except, of course, Kaede and Kyoya).

She could barely say anything to the "boy." So, when she was stuck in the same room as Haruhi, she only blushed furiously and hid behind Kaede. "Sachiko...," Kaede shook her head. They were in Sachiko's apartment that she shared with Hoshi and Haruo. She was confessing to Kaede that she liked Haruhi. "Oh my gosh, you haven't noticed..." The taller girl laughed.

"Noticed what?" Sachiko asked, confused. Kaede didn't answer, just kept chuckling. "Kaede!"

* * *

><p>"Er... um... eh...," Sachiko stammered, cornered by the host club, who was looking at her intently for an answer. Kaede had gone early again, for a tennis tournament this time. As soon as she left, they bombarded her with questions of what happened in the States.<p>

To her relief, Hoshi and Haruo rushed in. "Kaede told us to tell you that she might kill you when she's back," Hoshi said. "I don't know what though..."

They all jumped. _How did she know?! _"Er... Hoshi, Haruo... can you tell them about what happened in the States?" Sachiko asked, running away like she was going to die. She exited the room with her hair flying behind her. The host club turned to the two cousins with red eyes.

**"Sooo...," **the host club said.

**"Sooo...," **the cousins said, sweatdropping and backing away.

* * *

><p>In the end, the two third years in middle school broke, after Honey pulled off his puppy dog eyes.<p>

"We don't know much, but we know a bit," Haruo said. "Sachiko confided in us, anyways."

"It goes like this..." Hoshi started.

* * *

><p><strong><em>What Hoshi Knows<em>**

_Sachiko always said something about Kaede's crush liking her, this boy named Kiyoshi or something. She said that the guy was good looking, and, no doubt, he was a model._

_Kaede actually didn't show that she loved the guy; she didn't blush, didn't act shy, didn't act embarrassed... but there was something different about her when she was around him. She looked prettier._

_There was the time with Rei; she had broken up with Justin, a mutual break up, and hadn't talked to Kaede in weeks. She found another guy, somewhat average looking, for she picked rather bad looking guys, and claimed to have loved him. But, he broke up with her._

_The guy confessed to Kaede the next day, practically, and she, of course, rejected him. For some reason, with this, Rei was consumed by jealousy. Then, she did the unthinkable._

_Even though she and Justin broke up, they were still good friends, since she knew of his rich heritage, which was importantly kept secret. That Kiyoshi guy worked for Justin's family's company. Seeking for revenge, Rei convinced Justin to make his father fire Kiyoshi's father, who had a job there. Without the steady income, the family moved away. They haven't been found since._

_Kaede lashed out at that point, and, this, Haruo and I witnessed firsthand. She lost all of her cool, even more than when someone angers her. For once, she cried. She accidentally revealed how rich her family was, and how many secrets she'd been keeping. Rei didn't care; there was no sympathy for her, who had lost one of the most important people in her life._

_Then, Kaede left, and we followed soon later._

* * *

><p><em>Third person<em>

The hosts' eyes widened. So, that's the story behind Kaede. That was why she hated Justin, too; he drove away what made her happy.

The sympathetic ones-the twins, Tamaki, Honey, and Mori-stared at the two they had cornered for a moment. Then, tears started swelling up in their eyes. **"Wh-what a s-sad s-story!" **they sobbed.

They were interrupted by the opening of the door. In came Sachiko and Kaede. "I didn't know Sachiko was that open with you guys about the whole thing," Kaede said to Hoshi and Haruo, glaring a one-eyed glare to Sachiko. The girl shrunk in fear. Then, rather bravely, the sympathetic ones rushed to hug her.

**"Waa... We're sorry for your life, Kaede!" **they cried.

"Shut your mouths," Kaede said coldly, pushing the guys away. "I'm good with my life, thank you." To their horror, Kaede's aura darkened. Her hand slowly came up to the hair on her right eye, and, with intense dramatic movement, she tucked the strands behind her ear.

Their jaws hung open. _Is she trying to kill us?! _the club panicked.

Unknowingly, they were staring right at her right eye. It had no effect.

Actually, they just noticed how beautiful it was; it was somewhat grayish brown, a bit darker than the left eye. "It has no effect right now," Kaede struck through the silence. "Staring at my eye won't do anything at the moment."

For a second, they all exhaled.

"But-" Kaede inhaled sharply, "-this is just to prepare for what my guards might just push in any second now." They all looked at the door, and, as Kaede said, it opened, Kaede's guards dragging in a thrashing beautiful girl. The boys in the room were mesmerized by the beauty for a bit, eyeing her curves.

"Get off of me, you *******s! (A/N: This isn't technically a bad word, but I don't like even typing somewhat vulgar words)" she shrieked. The guards dropped her in front of Kaede. Her attention reverted to the girl, forgetting about the guards suddenly being fueled by the jealousy she knew and the bitterness she felt. "Oh, it's you, *****." The girl talked in English.

"Shut up." Everyone in the room, even any noise outside, silenced at those two words from Kaede. They rarely heard her say those words, nonetheless so cold. "I hate you, Rei." So it was Rei; the bad guy in the story. The girl who was jealous.

Kaede was surprised at her words; she never said "I hate you" or "shut up" so coldly. It was her brain though, who was working on the words, if not her heart. She knew what Rei had did. It was completely impractical.

"I'm human, Rei, believe it or not. I actually _feel _things, like when my best friend drives away one of the most important people in my life just because of a petty confession. It's true that I'm mean. It's true that I'm cold. But don't you think it's going too far by ruining someone's life to get revenge?" Kaede took Rei by the shoulders, and glared right to her eyes with her own.

"**** you *****," Rei said, woozy, before fainting. The host club squeaked.

"It's alright; she's not dead." They all sighed in relief. "Yet."

* * *

><p>"If you expect me to bring Kiyoshi back, I won't," Rei said childishly, fully recovered from the glare she got.<p>

"I know where he is, Rei; I'm not stupid," Kaede replied harshly. "I just was taking out the last of my anger on you..." Rei looked at her like she was crazy.

"Wow..."

The host club watched in amazement, Sachiko and her cousins too, as the two people who supposedly hated the other made up.

**"...That's gotta be the quickest make up there has ever been...," ** everyone else in the room said, sweatdropping.

"Truth is, I forgave her a long time ago...," Kaede said. "Ever since I figured out Kiyoshi's location. Justin is the one who I truly hate; he didn't do that for Rei's sake, he did it for his own. And the Rei I know would run to me and ask for forgiveness right when she sees me." As she talked, Rei hugged the girl tightly.

"I'm sorry, Kaede!" she cried. Kaede pat the other girl's head, and the others fell down.

"But, but, but..." Hikaru started.

"That would mean..." Kaoru continued.

**"That wasn't the reason you changed so much from the past?!"**

Kaede sighed. "People change over periods of time..."

* * *

><p>After all that, Kyoya was the only one who wasn't satisfied with the explanation of Kaede's life in the United States. Rei went back to the airport, for she was catching the next flight back to America. Her purpose in Japan was to apologize profusely with the Kiyoshi incident, saying that she couldn't get his family back to their original location. Kaede shrugged it off.<p>

Kaede and Kyoya were the last ones to go home, Kaede playing her beautiful piano music and Kyoya finishing up the host club's profit calculations for the day. The two almost completely ignored each other, yet they were fully aware that another was in the room.

Kaede stopped her pieces abruptly, standing and walking up to Kyoya. His eyes reverted to the girl. "I somehow get the feeling that you need to ask me something," Kaede said.

Kyoya snapped his book shut. "Yes, I do." He paused for a second. "If you had forgiven Rei, why did you move here, all alone? The academics here don't meet your level, either."

The girl chuckled. "Of course you would know that, Kyoya. I'll tell you the truth, then." She took a sharp intake of breath. "I'm here because one of the Shirai Company's business partners want me to marry their son."

* * *

><p>"Sachiko-san, thank you for walking me home," Haruhi said, smiling to the petite girl. They figured out that Haruhi's apartment complex was on the way to Sachiko's, so they found themselves walking home together. Much to Sachiko's despair, due to the many things Kaede does, she rarely walks with them.<p>

"N-no problem," Sachiko stammered, blushing. Haruhi _did not _notice this. Sachiko tried conversation. "Kaede tells me that you're a scholarship student?"

"Oh yes. Kaede almost had me lose it after getting a higher grade in the exams than me. But, she was taken out of the rankings since she was on a totally different level than the average smart person. She convinced them not to take away my scholarship."

"She's still somewhat nice, huh... and a smooth talker."

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>AN: And... bad chapter right here. I can't carry on drama, dang it! Aargh...

Mutemuia, that small bit at the end was to answer your question.

Any close observers out there: Even though she can control the effects of her eye, she covers it since if she accidentally stares into somebody else's eyes when she's mad, bad things could happen. Kaede gets angry over the slightest of things, but doesn't show it... *sweatdrop* (just like me)

Review, review, review! I might make the drama with the "marrying this guy" problem if I get FEEDBACK.

Thanks for reading! TBC~

-AmbiWriter-


	7. Chapter 7: Girlfriend

A/N: ...I am so bored these days... I need more anime... *sigh*

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. I _want _to. But don't we all?

Enjoy! And review afterwards if you want me to write better!

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

**Girlfriend**

_Kaede_

I sighed. Was telling Ootori about the whole deal with the business partner even smart? Did it have _any _purpose whatsoever?

I sighed again, flipping the page in my textbook. It was the physical exams today; I did it early, so I read as I waited for the host club. Then, my hands suddenly moved on their own and snapped close the book. "Sachiko...," I groaned, putting my hands on my head. _She was in for a hecka big surprise..., _I thought, sweatdropping.

I jumped out of my chair, wanting to see the moment and getting my phone ready. I worked up a title in my head: "What Happens When You Find Out Your Crush Is The Same Gender As You When You're Straight." Nah... It was too long...

* * *

><p>I directed myself to the room Ootori had authorized for Haruhi. It was too late, though; Sachiko was already beet red. The host club hung down their heads in shame, and Haruhi was confused. I tapped on Ootori's shoulder. He had an amused look on his face. "Oi, Ootori... Did you get the whole thing?"<p>

"Yeah," he replied. "Tamaki also just directed a poor man whose family hates him to his daughter's school, just to keep you up to date."

"Good to know, now, can you send me the video?"

"Of course." For those humorous and silent 3 minutes, Ootori sent me the video and I downloaded it on my phone. Then, I put my phone back in my pocket, put on a serious face (despite laughing inside), and stepped to where everybody could see me.

"What the heck's going on?" I questioned.

"Ha-Ha-Haru-Haruhi's a g-girl?!" Sachiko cried, covering her face and pulling out her hair. "Wh-wh-wh-why didn't y-you g-g-g-guys t-tell me?!"

**"Well, we forgot...," **everyone but Kyoya scratched their heads.

"I wasn't talking to you dummies, I was talking to Kaede!" she snapped. Even Kaede burst out laughing.

"You..hahaha... didn't know... after I hinted... hahaha," she said, unable to control herself. She composed herself after about a second. "Anyways, Haruhi is so feminine too, and her voice doesn't have the tone like a boy's." Kaede crossed her arms. "And Ootori and I wanted to preserve the moment you heard the news..." The two high fived each other.

* * *

><p>"Kaede...," Sachiko started. "Don't you think that Kyoya guy's sometimes scary?" We were in the public library, downtown, and were reading books. I was engrossed in a romance teen novel.<p>

"Nah... Ootori's not scary. He's kind of like me, in a way," I said, not looking up.

"You're not that much like him... Sure, you're scary sometimes, but Kyoya-senpai is more than that," Sachiko replied uncertainly.

"Oh well." I shrugged it off.

* * *

><p><em>Third Person<em>

Kaede sighed. "Cosplay...again...," she groaned. "Katana" was back, and was finally doing some cosplay along with Haruhi. She looked around as always, before coming to her appointment.

Tamaki, as always, was answering completely pointless questions with completely fake answers. There was also the twins doing their twincense act, which made Kaede laugh. At the end of her walk, she went across Haruhi, who sweatdropped, looking at the twins.

"Haruhi-_kun_!" two girls beat her to the "boy." "You look so cute in a kimono."

"You almost look like a girl in it," one of them complimented.

"Girl indeed," Kaede muttered under her breath. She came forward to Haruhi. "'Sup Haruhi," she greeted in her low voice.

"Hello, Katana," Haruhi said back.

"Haruhi, Shirai_shi_, you two have been requested," Kyoya called. Kaede nodded in recognition. "Haruhi's clients have pretty well stabilized lately, haven't they? As for Shiraishi... you've gained the majority already."

Haruhi and Kyoya pointedly looked at "Shiraishi's" direction, who had been bombarded with girls at the moment; even Haruhi's faithful fans were crowding "him."

"Keep it up. We're not planning to charge interest on the original debt you incurred, Haruhi, so just keep working hard, and pay it off," Kyoya said to the girl. "The rental fee for that kimono is nothing to sneeze at, after all."

Haruhi sweatdropped. "Who is he, the crooked magistrate?"

"Something like that," Kaede said, coming into the conversation. "He's been like this ever since he was little... it's unfortunate that I know that." Kaede paused for a moment, as if hesitating. "You know, I can pay the rental fee for your kimono too with the prize money I got from my latest piano competition."

"Really?" Haruhi asked, surprised.

"Yeah... I have some yen in my bank account now."

"I'll have to decline... I don't like being in debt." After that tiny act of kindness (or offering, should I say), two girls brushed past the two "boys" to talk to Kyoya.

"Kyoya-_sama... _You're just too much, in that kimono," one of them complimented.

Kaede suddenly fell to the ground, heaving with silent laughter. "Katana?!" Haruhi cried.

"Are there any new photo collections of the Host Club coming out?" asked the girls, not even caring about the almost hyperventilating Kaede and the panicking Haruhi.

"Unfortunately, nothing is scheduled at present," Kyoya replied.

Then, the twins came from behind, saying things about how the club makes their money and like that.

"The promotional items themselves are poor. The photo collections are just amateur hidden camera shots," Kyoya said, turning around to face them.

"Hey, I can make some myself," Kaede offered, recovering from the silent laughing fit. "I'm talented in the arts due to my genes, anyways." She fished through her backpack, finding a sketch pad. She opened it, showing her drawings of the club to the twins and Kyoya. The twins gasped in awe and Kyoya put on an impressed expression. "I can do photography too."

"So, then it's settled; Shiraishi will make some promotional items," Kyoya said. Kaede sweatdropped.

"Okay," Kaede put her index finger to her chin in thought. "Hey, where's Sachiko today?"

* * *

><p>Kaede ran through the halls, texting on her phone. "Man, Sachiko... Get a map, will ya?!" she shouted in frustration.<p>

She stopped running after getting a text from Sachiko saying: _it's all ok im at da host club._

The girl switched directions to go back to the host club, getting there in time to see Sachiko and the others in awe, looking at Tamaki doing one man slow motion. There was an unfamiliar girl there too; a new guest. She had somewhat orange hair, and looked outraged.

Kaede undid her hair, crossed her arms, and watched the scene from the doorway. Kyoya looked as if thinking. "By any chance, are you..."

The girl suddenly looked happy, and cried, "Kyoya-_sama_!" She ran to him, stepping on poor Tamaki on the way. Kaede raised her eyebrows and smirked in amusement.

Suddenly, it seemed like there were rose petals everywhere as the girl hugged him.

"I've wanted to meet you. My own prince," she swooned.

* * *

><p>"Hey, where's Kaede, er... Katana?" asked Hikaru. Kaede was still in the doorway, as the host club sat on the couches. She straightened her position and walked up to them.<p>

Sachiko brightened. "Kaede!" she exclaimed. "What took you so long?"

"I was here the whole time," Kaede shrugged cooly.

They switched their gazes to the girl. **"Fiance?" **all but Kyoya and Kaede questioned.

"Yes. My name is Hoshakuji Renge," the girl said, finally settling down on a couch. "I will be transferring into 1st-Year, Class A tomorrow."

Everyone looked to Tamaki, now, in his emo corner. "Look, he's mad," they pointed out. "That's because Mommy was hiding something from Daddy."

"Whatever. Are you trying to make this married couple thing stick?" said Kyoya.

"...For anybody who doesn't know you guys, they would think you're gay, you know...," Kaede commented. "That's what I thought on my first day."

**"Us too," **agreed Sachiko and Haruhi. Their conversation was cut off by an overexcited Renge.

"It is indeed love at first sight," she gushed, making everyone turn around. "The way you were adoring those flowers by yourself in the back courtyard, even when no one else was looking... And the way you kindly reached out to that injured little kitty..."

The twins and Haruhi started asking themselves, **"Who? Who? Who?" **as Kaede snickered. Sachiko looked to the smart girl questioningly.

"The day Ootori is like that is the day when pigs fly and Haruhi stops continuously breaking Tamaki's heart...," Kaede jested.

"He is the one who looks just like the star of the currently popular love simulation game, 'Uki-doki Memorial,' Ichijo Miyabi-_kun, _and that's _you_!" The crazed girl pointed right at Kyoya's face.

_An otaku! _thought Tamaki.

_She's an otaku! _thought Hikaru.

_I've never seen one before! _thought Kaoru. The three reeled back in horror.

"I see now. You're infatuated with a character," said Kyoya in thought. "You're projecting the character infatuation onto me, going so far as to delude yourself that we are engaged. This Miyabi-_kun _character probably wears glasses too, right?"

All except Kyoya and Kaede sweatdropped, suddenly understanding.

_**You could've said so sooner, **_they all thought (except the two smartest people in the room).

"Kyoya-_sama_, I understand that you administer everything about this club," Renge started.

Kaede's buried her face in her hands. She knew what was going to happen...

"I've always dreamed of being the drawing card for someone's business," Renge said. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to be this host club's manager!"

Kaede suddenly stood up in authority. "Otaku-_chan..._," she started, making everyone who knew her dangerous nature shrink in horror.

_**She even made up a derogatory nickname for her! **_they all thought, panicking.

"We don't need a manager." Renge looked at her questioningly.

"Are you even a part of the club? You're a girl!" she exclaimed. Kaede slowly walked to her childhood friend, Kyoya's, said.

"Yes, well, I _am _Ootori's girlfriend."

Right then, everyone except Kyoya and Kaede (who were currently amused at the development) could've fallen.

_**"Girlfriend?!"**_

* * *

><p>In the end, that girlfriend talk only made Renge even more determined to be the manager. "Ootori's already misinformed people that we're girlfriend and boyfriend. I was curious, too, you know," Kaede said in her cool way. It was lunchtime, and Sachiko and the Host Club (except for Kyoya) were questioning her about the girlfriend incident. They all exhaled at her answer.<p>

"Is it because Shirai _wants _to be my girlfriend, hm?" Kyoya teased. Kaede laughed.

"Says you, Ootori. You were the one to start the rumor, anyways."

* * *

><p>"They make a good couple," Haruhi said to Sachiko while walking to the host club room.<p>

"Yeah. Kaede's kinda like Kyoya-senpai herself," Sachiko commented.

"It's as if they were the Shadow King and Queen."

"You know... I wonder what that Renge girl will say to that."

* * *

><p>"This is a grand-scale project in order to stir Haruhi up to be more girly!" announced Tamaki as Kaede entered the room. The girl sighed, shifting her weight to her left leg.<p>

"Don't tell me... You're going to use Renge to make Haruhi girlier?" Kaede said, vexed. "Aren't Sachiko and I enough, anyways?"

Tamaki stood to walk up to Kaede. He pointed at her. "You are Kaede; that should be explanation enough." She shrugged; _he was right for once, _she thought. The guy turned to Sachiko. "She's... er... your friend."

"What the heck?! How is that supposed to explain anything?!" Sachiko cried, flailing her arms. Tamaki patted the petite girl's head.

"You're not girly enough! You're a commoner! You're not even rich!"

Sachiko shrugged at this. "...and stupid, too...," she added miserably.

"Dude, she already has an inferiority complex," Kaede said, sighing again. "Now, where is our snobby lady manager?"

As if on cue, the door opened and popped out Miss Otaku herself. "People... Renge, your Host Club drawing card, has baked some cookies."

"Oh, thanks, Otaku-chan!" Kaede greeted.

"...Who are you?" Renge asked. "I didn't see you yesterday."

"Oh yeah... I'm a boy today...," Kaede muttered.

"Oh...how ladylike! I'm so moved!" Tamaki cried, suddenly appearing before Renge, doing weird gestures that Kaede always made fun of behind his back.

"I didn't back them for you, you phony prince," Renge deadpanned. That sent the poor guy to his emo corner.

Kaede shrugged. "At least she called you prince, senpai...," she _tried _to be optimistic, but that was too much for her. It was _way _out of character.

"They're a little bit burnt, but I know what you're going to say, Kyoya-_sama," _she said. Kaede smirked, untying her hair and taking out some cookies out of her backpack. She tapped on Kyoya's shoulder.

"Hey, Ootori, I made you some cookies," she said. Kyoya smirked too, and played along.

"Anything you make is going to be delicious, of course," he answered, ignoring the host club with their jaws on the floor (Sachiko too).

"Thank you, Kyoya-_sama_! I knew you were going to say that!" Renge exclaimed, hugging the guy. Kaede snickered.

"Did you see who he was talking to, Otaku-_chan_?" she said. Renge turned to her with red in her eyes.

"Oh... It's you."

"She's right. These are burnt," Honey said in the background, making everyone turn to him.

"Stop, Mitsukuni. Those are bad for you," Mori warned, coming from behind him.

One thing came to another, and they watched Renge angrily chasing the two guys with those red eyes and looking like Medusa. As Haruhi watched, she ate one of Renge's cookies. "They're savory, and not all that bad."

Hikaru came in close to her, and said, "Let me see...," then bit into the cookie.

Kaoru came from behind and said, "Oh, Haruhi, you have cookie crumbs on your face," then licked them off.

Kaede, being the girl she was, crossed her arms and glared at the twins, who suddenly thought that what they had done was bad. Tamaki started shouting and Kyoya said, "Before we knew it, they've been a congenial classmate trio."

"Hey! That makes Sachiko and I feel so left out, Haruhi...," Kaede wiped off a tear from her cheek.

"Waa... Kae-chan can cry at will!" Honey shouted, being free of Renge.

"You know, if you'd just say so, I could get them off myself," Haruhi said to Kaoru. She turned to Hikaru, saying, "And if you wanted one, they're right here."

Kaede buried her face in her hands, taking Haruhi's shoulders, and shaking her lightly (in contrast with the boys). "I hate to snap you out of your innocence, Haruhi, but that's sexual harassment right there."

While Tamaki joined to agree with Kaede and there was a big commotion, they didn't know that Renge was in the other part of the room, thinking. Kaede sighed, giving up, and went out of the room to crossdress as a boy.

When she came back, Renge was shouting at the host club, "Except for Kyoya-_sama_, all of your characters are too lackluster!"

"Whoa, whoa... What the heck is going on here?" Kaede asked, playing the part as the person who wasn't there during Renge's arrival. Renge turned around to her, angry. She placed "him" in front of her.

"All of you hosts are lacking a 'dark' side!" she yelled. At that comment, everyone's eyes reverted to Kaede, who was acting as if she didn't know anything.

**"Out of all of us, Katana has a pretty dark story...," **they muttered.

Renge ignored them. "Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men going through trauma!" The others still looked at Kaede. "If you keep carrying on in this ridiculous manner, it's only a matter of time before everyone grows tired of it! Are you trying to ruin Kyoya-_sama_'s precious business?!"

"First of all, when did we become a business?" Kaede interrupted again. Ig...nored.

"As manager-"

"Manager?"

"-starting today, I'm changing all of your character backgrounds."

"I didn't even have a _starting _background."

"Shut up, who ever you are!"

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't here yesterday; it seems as if there's been a new member." Ignored. Again.

"As manager, starting today, I'm changing all of your character backgrounds." She pointed to Honey. "Starting with you!" He started crying. "If all you are is cute, inside and out, then you're the same as a baby. As such, you're now 'The cute-face, who's actually a thug!'"

"He can't pull that off...," Kaede muttered.

"Morinozuka-senpai, you're the 'Childhood-friend flunkie!' The twins will be basketball players, 'Shut up in their own world!' Haruhi-_kun, _you're an honor student, faced with 'Intense bullying!' And Tamaki-_san_, you are the school idol, esteemed for your looks, but actually, you have an inferiority complex... 'The lonesome prince!'"

Kaede inched closer to Sachiko and Haruhi. "That's not even _close _to the mark." The clever girl went up to Renge. "What am I, then?"

Renge's rampage came to an end. Truthfully, she didn't even make up a type for "Katana." "You're the boy who never goes out, a recluse, whose happiness has reached up and downs! You're the 'Emotionless Boy!"

**"On the other hand, she's freakishly right this time...," **everyone mumbled.

"Oh, Kyoya-_sama_," Renge turned to Kyoya. "You're perfect. You just stay your usual kind, affectionate self."

* * *

><p>"...Wow, their acting skills aren't actually the worst...," Kaede said, raking her hand through her hair. "Except, though, this is totally fake."<p>

The "changing personality" thing turned into a movie, at some point. Kaede somewhat liked this, since she was a star in the school dramatics. It didn't seem like acting to her, though, since she was playing practically herself.

"Whoa! These are directors from Hollywood?!" Sachiko exclaimed in awe. "To think I would see them in a different country..."

"Why have we suddenly gone from talking about changing our characters into a movie shoot?" asked the twins on break. Kyoya was behind them, writing on his clipboard.

Haruhi came into the picture. "And I have to say, it's an overblown film crew, huh?"

"What sucks is that I feel totally left out, though," Kaede sighed. "Me _and _Sachiko. It's better to be Kaede, since I can irritate Otaku-_chan _more. Anyways, these people are from Hollywood, right?"

Kyoya nodded. "Apparently, she rushed them here from Hollywood."

"Wow, Otaku-_chan _uses her money for other things than her video games. Amazing," Kaede said sardonically.

Kyoya started pointing out the big shots and what they were in. "Damn these rich people...," Haruhi muttered miserably.

"I feel ya, Haruhi," Sachiko added.

* * *

><p>"I've just asked these two gentlemen to make a special appearance," Renge introduced two scary looking people to Kaede and Haruhi. Haruhi started sweating a lot, but Kaede didn't falter. She was way scarier than what she looks like.<p>

"Appearance? What are you talking about?" they questioned.

"We're going to need some villains for the big climax, after all," Renge said.

One thing came to another, and Haruhi ended up protecting Renge from falling objects and telling her that judging people by stereotypes is wrong. Tamaki, thinking Haruhi was crying, pinned the people to the wall.

"Which one of you started this?" he asked menacingly.

"W-wait, Suou! she's the one who started giving us a hard time!" they stammered.

**"It's true, **_**senpai**_**," **Kaede and Haruhi said.

"These boys aren't at fault," Haruhi continued, standing up. Tamaki released them, and they turned to run away, only to be stopped by Kaede.

"I'll walk with you two, if you don't mind."

* * *

><p>"Sorry about Otaku-<em>chan,<em>" Kaede apologized to the two boys, who were taken aback.

"N-no, it's fine," they stuttered.

"I advise you two to be more careful around girls like her. There's no doubt that I'm doing this so that our families don't clash in a full-fledged war, for I do most everything with knowing that there's a bit of profit coming out of it. Keep everything, all of what Renge did to you, a secret."

* * *

><p>"Dang, Ootori, that was so predictable for you...," Kaede said, looking over Kyoya's shoulder into his notebook. He shifted, uncomfortable with her peeking into his precious thing. "It was a great opportunity for money, though."<p>

Kyoya ended up taking the video, Kaede editing all of it, since the Hollywood crew refused to, and selling it to the patrons of the host club. "We had a lot of profits, I agree."

"Oh hey, I made some products too," Kaede said, looking into her bottomless backpack. She took out some books. "There are some manga I made, featuring everything that happened ever since Haruhi and I came."

He started thumbing through it. "Impressive, Shirai_shi_."

"There is also some photos I took," she added, taking out some pictures. All of them looked professional. After looking through all of them, Kyoya stopped at the last. It was him and Kaede (not "Katana") together, Kaede peeking over his shoulder to look inside his notebook, as he smiled warmly. It was, he noted to himself, the best one.

* * *

><p>AN: Awwww... KyoyaxKaede, am I right?

I hope you liked it! I loved the last part myself.

Review! I need criticism, or ego boosters!

-AmbiWriter-


	8. Chapter 8: Kamiko

A/N: You know that picture I described the last chapter? Yeah, I was thinking of drawing that... I am not that bad at drawing manga, despite the drawing I made for the cover.

I seriously need to improve on my drawings of Kaede. I can make simple girls fine, but Kaede? Nuh-uh. Maybe I should ask my friend to do it. She's better than me.

It would be awesome to see that picture, don't you think?

This chapter, I add a recurring side character! But, she isn't actually part of the main plot like Sachiko and her cousins.

It took me a while to get this chapter going; I was going to do that "marrying this guy" thing, but it didn't fit at the time.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. But I _do _own Sachiko, Kaede, Hoshi, and Haruo. Plus Kamiko...

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

**Kamiko**

_Kamiko_

My name is Kamiko. Kamiko Suzuki. I am in love with Kyoya Ootori-sama from 2-A.

A lot of girls are in love with Kyoya-senpai since he is good-looking, smart, and cool, unlike myself, who is plain, dumb, and awkward. My friends who also love him dragged me into a fan club devoted to senpai: the "Shadow Queens." I didn't want to love him this way, but I can't say no.

The main objective of this fanclub is to remove any obstacles in the way to happiness with Kyoya-senpai. That means, the true objective is to get Kaede Shirai out of the way.

Kaede Shirai is everything that I can't be: pretty, rich, good at many things, and super smart, rumored to be the smartest person in school. The girls hate her, being way too perfect, and cold.

I walked through the hallway, my head down, and clutching my books to my chest. I headed to the same library that I go to for lunch, and sat down in a table. Nobody really comes here during lunchtime, since everyone's busy in the cafeteria or in the sports centers of the school. I took out my papers for class and started working on the math.

I am not rich; I work under the Suohs as a maid. They sponsor my going here. Due to my low social status and lack of intelligence, I attend class in 1-C.

I tapped my pencil on the table, stuck on the first problem. I was not good in math, or in any school subject. I was only one thing; dumb. I groaned, unable to decipher the problem at all. I paid attention in every class; did all of the notes too, but, in the end, I couldn't _do _it. "I need help...," I moan.

To my surprise, someone sat across me, taking out her lunch and a book. She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. I gasped quietly, not wanting her to hear. It was none other than Kaede Shirai herself. She smiled at me before starting to dig in her lunch and read the book. It was an English classic, something way beyond my level.

After a couple minutes, she put the book down and became devoted to her lunch. _She's finished with the book already?! _I thought, panicking. So it was true; she was a genius. Shirai-san looked up at me with warmth in her eyes, "Are you doing your homework?"

"Y-yes," I stammered, not able to speak correctly under her steady gaze. I quickly looked down to the math problems. I started tapping my pencil on the table again, still dumbfounded.

"Do you need any help?" the pretty girl asked me, reading my action. I closed my eyes shut before looking up at her.

"Y-yes, " I stuttered again. "I haven't got past problem one."

She stood up, going to my side of the table. "Oh, this isn't calculus..." She took in a sharp intake of breath. Calculus? I thought she was a freshman! I started panicking again. _She really _is _out of my level... _I thought, starting to feel uncomfortable. "Kamiko, what does this problem mean?"

She knows my name?! Oh wait, it's written on the top of the page...

I took what little confidence I had to say, "I don't know."

Shirai-san laughed, like a mother would when she's looking at her child saying, "I did it!"

"Here; I'll tell you..."

* * *

><p>I had spent the whole lunch time doing homework, being helped once in a while by Shirai-san. When it was minutes until the bell would ring, I finished my homework. "Thank you very much, Shirai-san," I said, bowing low to the pretty girl.<p>

"Welcome," she replied almost silently. "Call me Kaede," she said in an afterthought. She turned to leave, but was stopped.

"Hello," a familiar voice greeted. I gasped, not knowing what to do. Kyoya Ootori-sama! Kaede turned to face him. She flipped her hair.

"Hey, Ootori," Kaede said monotonically. "And what brings you here?"

"Shirai," Kyoya-sama gritted his teeth, "Give me back my notebook." I inched away, hiding another gasp. All Kyoya-sama fangirls knew of his notebook, but didn't dare to even _look _at it. Kaede laughed.

"Now, Ootori, this is what you get when you cut my manga from the Host Club merchandise," Kaede said, amused. I was shocked; Kaede, in the forty-five minutes I spent with her, did not show this side of her. "Put it back on, and your notebook will be saved."

"No."

"Then no notebook."

"..."

"Notebook~"

"I won't put your manga in the merchandise, Shirai."

"Okay, just because I had shown your _true side _in the manga, doesn't mean you _must _stop publishing it."

"Shirai, your manga could potentially ruin my reputation."

"Ha, good one. Your pride could get through the manga. What's the _real _reason?"

"...Fine. I don't want it on because it's too much for the fans."

"Too much for the fans, or too much for you?"

"_You made me a girl in the manga and made me cute and girly." _I almost snickered. Kaede truly was a great person.

"It was either that, or a Roman style portrait _just for the Host Club._"

"_Shirai!_"

"Fine, I'll give you the notebook, but I'm still doing manga." She took out the infamous black notebook and handed it to Kyoya-sama. He looked relieved. "Just so you know, I scanned all of the pages of it for blackmail."

* * *

><p>I didn't think I could live through that episode with Kaede and Kyoya-sama. I never had been any close to him, not really. I admired him from afar. "Kamiko-nee-chan!" my little sister, Tomi, called. "It's dinner!"<p>

"Okay," I said back, going to the kitchen. "Is Mom back from work?" Tomi shook her head. "Dad?" She stared at me, and I reverted my gaze to the ground.

"Dad's _never_ coming back, onee-chan..."

To explain: My dad ran away from home, running away with a mistress he had an affair with. I think it really broke my mom's heart' she was working hard everyday, yet Kami-sama (God) pays her back by giving her an unfaithful husband.

In the end, I didn't care for him at all. I sometimes just asked if Dad was coming home for fun, but my little sister didn't really like it. She thought it was her birth that made Dad run away (he ran away coincidentally near his birth). I tried comforting her about it, but little sisters were little sisters.

* * *

><p>"Kamiko!" Kaede ran to me the next day before school. I was walking into the school gates when she sprinted right in front of me. It was surprising, since she was wearing heels at the time. She was balanced, she didn't fall like a clumsy girl like me.<p>

"H-hey Kaede," I stammered, not knowing if it was enough respect for her.

"Haruhi and Sachiko's ran off without me, so I'm hanging out with you!" I sighed.

_So now I'm an afterthought, _I thought sadly.

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, you know," Kaede said suddenly, scratching her head. "Who are you giving chocolates to?" I blushed.

"Er...Um...Uh-"

"Ootori, right?" Kaede answered for me. I gasped.

_Is it _that _obvious?! _I thought in horror.

"It's not that it's obvious, it 'cause you looked uncomfortable in the same room with Ootori," Kaede comforted me, laughing. I laughed awkwardly along with her.

"Sooo... who are you giving chocolates to?" I asked.

"Nobody, I guess...," Kaede said. "I might give some to the Host Club for the sake of making and giving chocolate." I gasped.

_No one does that! _I thought. _Maybe she doesn't know what it means! _I panicked; Kaede didn't need to have a reputation of being dumb about such well known events.

"I know it'll make a statement," Kaede added, reading my face, "but I have a plan." She grinned boyishly, fixing her glasses.

* * *

><p>"Kamiko!" Kaede cried, seeing me in the "chocolate making" class, in which I enrolled in to try once again making chocolates for Kyoya-sama. Last time, it was a disaster.<p>

Kaede ran to me, wanting to make chocolates beside me. "Sachiko wouldn't do it, since she gets really embarrassed about this stuff."

_Is she _trying _to make me feel like the afterthought?! _I thought, maddening slightly.

"Sooo... I've never tried making chocolates before," Kaede told me. "It wasn't really a tradition back in the U.S.; there was just candy," she explained.

"Really?" I asked incredulously.

"Mhmm," she answered. "Now, when's class starting?" As if on cue, the teacher came out to the front.

She introduced herself, and came on to introducing the history of chocolate. Kaede yawned, getting tired and bored. I realized, though, she instantly was alert after hearing the words: "Dark chocolate."

The instructor said, "You will have a choice between both milk or dark chocolate..." Blah blah blah, we got to the chocolate making in no time. I started making milk chocolate, since it seemed the kind Kyoya-sama liked. It was in the shape of hearts; rather messy, but resembled hearts somewhat.

I looked over to Kaede, hard at work. My chocolate was in the oven, baking. "Kaede? How are your chocolates?" It was certain that she was baking dark chocolate, but that was all I knew about her chocolates. She didn't look up after I said her name, but I looked over to her chocolates anyways.

"Ta-da!" she uncovered her chocolates, finally acknowledging my presence.

"You're already done?!" I asked, surprised at her quickness.

Kaede finished the last of her designs and gave me a clear sight of her chocolates. I gasped. They were... a work of art. There were chocolates shaped as music notes and little ribbons, all with intricate designs.

"Can I taste one?" I said politely.

"Sure," Kaede replied, shrugging. "I'll try one with you." As soon as I bit into the hard shell, dark chocolate flowed into my mouth. It was absolutely perfect.

"This is..._great_," I commented, looking at wonder at her chocolates. Kaede lit up.

"They are, I guess," she said nonchalantly, though smiling. "Oh man, Ootori's gonna be begging for these. He's loved dark chocolate for years." That sentence struck my heart.

_Oh gosh, oh gosh... I made milk chocolate! _I thought, panicking.

"It's okay," Kaede said, once again reading my thoughts. "Ootori likes milk chocolate too." She smiled warmly. Though she was supposed to be my enemy, I couldn't help being happy around her. "I'm giving a batch to Ootori, and then making some for the rest of the Host Club." She smirked, making me feel uncomfortable. She was gonna do something...

Kaede picked up some of the icing and started putting something on the chocolates. She showed them to me when I was done. "These are Ootori's," she said, laughing.

I read the neat, elegant script of Kaede. It said, "GEEK." I gasped. This was daring; I mean, the fangirls'll kill her if they knew that she insulted Kyoya-sama.

"Geek?" I asked uncertainly, ready to talk her out of this.

Kaede nodded. "Honesty is the best policy, you know."

* * *

><p>The next day was Valentine's. I had almost forgot that on Valentine's Day, there was a special school festival. I guess my mind totally drifted off after meeting Kaede.<p>

A bunch of fangirls targeted the Host Club with chocolates, but I waited until Kaede so I could have confidence in myself while giving Kyoya-sama his chocolates. Recently, I realized that having her around me really was dangerous. The "Shadow Queens" probably are going to do something about it, but, really, I can't shake off Kaede. She stuck.

"Sachiko!" I heard Kaede call. For once, it wasn't me. I saw Kaede running to the petite girl with chocolates in her hand. "Can you give this to Takashi-senpai for me?"

Sachiko blushed. "B-b-b-b-but-"

"-I won't have time to give it to him," Kaede interrupted, "So _no excuses, _my friend." Before Sachiko could give the chocolates back, Kaede sprinted away. I jumped when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around.

"KAEDE?!" I cried. She grinned boyishly.

"And _that _is how you match make, my shy Ootori fangirl," she said. She spotted Haruhi. She's giving some to him? "I gotta go!"

* * *

><p>I saw Kaede while going to the library for lunch. She was talking to Kyoya-sama. "And here are your chocolates," Kaede said, handing her beautiful batch to him. "My parents left a card too," she added, pointing at a small heart shaped card on the side.<p>

Kyoya-sama opened the box, and his strict expression softened. "Geek?"

"At least they weren't from my parents," Kaede jested. "They have coconut in them." I was surprised at this, since she told me the shell was made of milk chocolate and the inside was dark chocolate.

It looked as if Kyoya-sama faltered. "Coconut, huh?"

Kaede swiftly took one of the chocolates supposedly being made of coconut, and stuffed them in Kyoya-sama's mouth. He protested, but the chocolate was already in his mouth. His eyes lit up.

"These are dark and milk chocolate!" he said, laughing. I noticed that they were really close to each other.

"And my acting still tricks you," Kaede grinned. "For years I've known you, and you haven't even figured me out."

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>After that brief episode, I ran away with tears in my eyes. Anybody who had seen that would think they were two lovers, not just childhood friends. I cried and cried and cried, not knowing anything anymore.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Kaede<em>

I sprinted after the figure I had seen run. Was that Kamiko? "Kamiko!" I called out. "Kamiko!"

I was startled by a tapping on my shoulder. "Who's Kamiko?" asked Ootori, panting and gasping for air.

_Rich kids seriously can't run, can they?_ I sweatdropped. "She's a friend," I explained. "I'm looking for her."

I desperately looked around for the girl. I spotted her leaning on a tree, crying. I grabbed Ootori's hand (Ootori himself was surprised), and ran up to her.

"Ootori, Kamiko. Kamiko, Ootori," I introduced them, releasing Ootori's hand and making way for them.

Kamiko turned beet red and Ootori opened his mouth to protest. "H-hello," Kamiko said.

"Hello," Ootori replied. "Shi-"

"-I'm going!"

* * *

><p>I yawned. Valentine's Day with Ootori was better than I remembered! A straight guy in a joke is the best... When I'm not the straight guy.<p>

I was kind of hyper today, since it really was great for me, even though I had no one to love. I was in an empty music room, sitting at the piano. The Valentine's Festival was gonna start, and my class was doing a bravery test or something. It sounded like something you would do on Halloween, but I was thinking, using my usual logic, that it was for girls to hug boys tightly when they're scared.

Even though I was a loner, I wanted to go through the test. I had stayed after school for the test, and I was going through with it. When the clock struck 6, I raced to go to my classroom. Once I went through the door, I was immediately stopped with: "Shirai-san, you're with Kyoya-sama!"

* * *

><p>AN: Kaede was kind of out of character in this one, but lemme explain: Kaede loves romance. I am gonna say that. She doesn't get hyper on Valentine's because of the candy; she gets hyper from match-making and teasing her friends. Though she is serious and reclusive, she opens up to Kyoya (awwwww) and her female friends.

This is a two part story: I'm continuing it _after _Valentine's which is kinda awkward. Whatever! Valentine's reaches _no limits_. (I say that even though I'm also like Kaede; I'm a loner...)

Review, please! (o.\\\) -Ambiwriter-


	9. Chapter 9: Valentine's

A/N: This chapter is gonna contain a bunch of stories, all on the same day: Valentines. Any MorixOC lovers, or TamakixHaruhi, you will love this. Oh yeah, _and _KaedexKyoya, but that's already known, right?

I don't own OHSHC. Just my OC's.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Shadow Queen<span>**

**Chapter 9**

**Valentine's**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Bravery Test<span>**

_Third Person_

Kaede was kind of confused. She had walked in, in a rush, and suddenly stopped by her name and Kyoya's name. _Together. _Since she was kind of a foreigner, they explained everything.

She was to go through the forest behind the school, with Kyoya, in which there were to be a bunch of scary obstacles in the way.

Now, she was walking around with the guy, smirking to herself. She knew that Kyoya, though did not show it, was deathly afraid of these things.

Ever since they were released by her classmates, Kyoya kept silent. Kaede was stoic, even though she was greatly amused by the whole thing. She wasn't affected by scary stuff most of the time (but she flinches when you surprise her). Usually, she'd just point out the flaws in the tricks. It wasn't called being brave; it was called being judgmental. Practically the only thing that _really _scared her was her mom. That was it. Maybe a couple small phobias...

The wind and the cloudy sky made a gloomy effect over the pair. Kaede practically blended in, due to the dark clothes she always wore. Kyoya sweatdropped. With the way things were going, Kaede would probably scare him before the obstacles were passed, since he couldn't see her clearly.

He jumped as something swung right in front of him. It was... a bloody head. Kyoya flinched, but Kaede went forward and observed the head. "Oh hey... Is this a plastic head or a real head?" She blew on the head. The head flinched. "Who are you?"

"Er..." the head spoke.

"It really looks as if you're disembodied," Kaede complimented. "C'mon, Ootori, I wanna see the next one."

In the end, Kyoya was kind of shaking inside, but Kaede was exceedingly amused. In the rest of the pairs, the girls had screamed and the boys were visibly shaking. All of them were scarred, except the ever criticizing Kaede.

She and Kyoya both went to a fast food place to cool down.

"Heh... I thought Ootori was going to jump in my arms," Kaede joked. Kyoya glared at her, but she continued laughing. Her laughter faded and she just sat there, smiling. She suddenly looked confused. "But wait... what happened to Kamiko?"

"I turned her down." Something struck in Kaede.

"Were you nice?"

"Yeah."

Kaede hesitated to ask the next question. "_Why _did you turn her down?"

Kyoya himself hesitated to answer. "There's someone else."

* * *

><p><strong><span>A Couple Hours Ago<span>**

**During Host Club Time**

**Tamaki/Haruhi**

_Kaede_

Haruhi Fujioka. The single most oblivious person in the world, including Chiya (a nickname for Sachiko). I gave her the batch of chocolates for Tamaki-senpai, telling her to give it to him for me. She didn't actually know the meaning for that, really.

She actually did it. Right in front of the guests.

I hid behind a couch, out of Haruhi's sight. Ootori spotted me, but didn't question my actions. He hasn't in a decade, anyways.

Tamaki sat in his usual place with his guests, flirting and being...er...weird. Haruhi, the said giver, took out the chocolates from its place in the backpack. She went up to Tamaki with the chocolates in her hand. Tamaki turned to Haruhi, and immediately went beet red at the sight of the chocolates. The guests haven't noticed yet.

"Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi said, taking the guests' attention. "Here are some chocolates from-"

"Haruhi?!" Tamaki cried, covering his reddening face (if it was possible that it _could _be redder). "Wh-wh-whaaa?!"

The twins, who I knew totally liked Haruhi, exclaimed, **"_Tono?!_"**

"They're homemade," she said, forgetting to mention my name. I snickered.

"G-g-g-great!" Tamaki stammered. He took the chocolates swiftly, opening them with vigor. He took one and popped it into his mouth, his hand shaking with excitement. His eyes lit up. "Did you make these, Haruhi?!"

Haruhi, turning to walk away, turned around. "No, Kaede made them," she said bluntly. And... there he goes to his emo corner. Oh... broken hopes.

But, his broken hope didn't prevent him from eating one more chocolate. And another. And another. Until the box is empty. Eat away your sadness... yes, yes...

I stood up, taking the box from the mushroom growing senpai. I pulled him up forcefully, making him yelp in pain for his poor _poor _arm. I pushed him in the direction of Haruhi with a bored look and went to the direction of the trash can to throw the box away.

When I came back, the guests were squealing with hearts in their eyes. I took my usual position next to Ootori and saw the following conversation.

Tamaki (blushing): Th-thanks for the chocolate, Haruhi.

Haruhi (shrugging and cruel): It's Kaede's treat.

Tamaki (ready to grow mushrooms): *sniff sniff* O-okay...

Haruhi: But I guess it's partially mine, since I gave it to you...

Tamaki (brightens): Really?!

Haruhi: Sure...

Tamaki (hugs Haruhi tightly): Thank you, my daughter!

Haruhi: That's sexual harrassment, senpai.

Twins (moving towards the two): **Yeah, senpai!**

Me: Haruhi, that's so inconsiderate.

Haruhi: Kaede?! Why are you here?!

Me: Ootori, back me up here.

Ootori: Nope.

Me: I'm just here.

Tamaki (still hugging): My daughter...

Haruhi (frantic): Senpai!

Me (pulling them apart): That's good for today.

Tamaki: Kaede!

Me: Tamaki...

Tamaki (running away): My daughters are soooo mean!

Me (shouting after him): I'm not your daughter, and it's not even Father's Day!

Honey (coming in with cake): Anybody want cake?

Me: Chocolate, please. Haruhi, run after Tamaki.

Haruhi: Kaede...

Me (smirks): I'll treat you to fancy food~

Haruhi (hesitating): Er... *runs*

That was a really weird conversation. Takashi-senpai didn't even get to join in!

Anyways, I looked to Haruhi's running figure for the sake of fancy food. Yet, she was running _really _slow.

I never got to know what happened afterwards, but I assumed it was good. Tamaki blushed when he saw Haruhi, and Haruhi, for once, actually blushed a bit too. Awwwww... _love._

* * *

><p><span><strong>During Lunch Time<strong>

**Mori/Chiya (Sachiko)**

_Third Person_

Kaede was everywhere, and usually was in the place where her actions would become effective. So... she was where her tricks led to.

Although, during lunch that day, she was with Kyoya, so she wasn't able to experience her best friend's encounter with Mori-senpai.

Kaede, though Chiya never told her, knew of her crush on Mori. I know, I know... in the earlier chapters it was said that Chiya liked Haruhi. She _also _liked Mori. So, when she found out one of her crushes was a girl, she moved on to her other crush. Natural, right?

Sachiko nervously walked up to Mori, fidgeting. He was finally alone, behind the kendo club's building, drying his hair after a shower in the [fancy] locker room.

"M-Mori-senpai," Sachiko stammered, blushing. She swore inaudibly. She couldn't control her blushing, or her emotions, like Kaede. She was hecka cold! Sachiko took out the chocolates Kaede had given her, Mori's eyes following her every move. "K-Kaede told me to give these to you!" she blurted, breaking into a bow.

Once again, she did a reflex. Kaede would never do this to someone out of respect; all respect she'll give you is a nod of the head (not including bowing after a performance). Sachiko started sweating, still bowing and holding out the chocolates. To her surprise, she felt a small pat on her head. _Whaaaa...? _Sachiko panicked. She was so, _so _nervous, even after the confidence exercises Kaede made her do.

_Flashback Time!_

"Number one to be confident, Chiya, is not blushing," Kaede said solemnly, her index finger in the air. Sachiko and her used to meet at her house for weird things such as this, and wasn't questioned directly by Kaede's family.

"That's helps _a lot_, Kaede...," Sachiko said, her voice dripped in sarcasm. "Not everyone could just _not _blush, like you, Kaede."

Kaede scratched her head. "Sarcasm works too, you know, Chiya." She leaned back onto a pillow. "For one, you need help on that habit of yours of not really talking to boys."

"Easy for you to say... Kaede, I _can't _talk to boys."

"Rei can talk to them; I hang out with a bunch."

"First; Rei's boyfriend's friends don't count, and you practically have a reverse harem at your hands."

"Ooooohh... So you _do _know of reverse harems."

"HOW IS THIS HELPING?!"

"We're conversing."

"YOU'RE MY FRIGGIN' BEST FRIEND!"

"Ok."

"KAEDE!"

To Sachiko's surprise, the door opened. In came, to her horror, her crush: Madoka Kita; with Kaede's other best friend and confidant: Kou Moto. "Meow," Kou greeted.

"What up, Kou-Kou," Kaede said, completely ignoring Sachiko's silent pleas for help. "Hey, Madoka."

"Hey, Kaede," Madoka replied. "Hey Sachiko."

"H-h-h-hey." Sachiko blushed beet red.

Kaede said, "*cough* Chiya's blushing! *cough*"

Kou snickered. Sachiko sniffed, still red, and said, "Did you bring Kiyoshi, Kaede?" She attempted to get back at her.

Kaede didn't flinch. "Actually, I'm texting him right now." Sachiko choked on her own spit, grabbing Kaede's phone. Her eyes widened, dropping the phone onto the bed.

"You friggin..."

Kaede laughed. "Oi, Madoka, thanks for the favor," she said boyishly to Madoka.

"My fault for living near such a weird person...," he scratched his head. "Why am I in your room anyways?"

Instead of Kaede blushing, Sachiko went redder. "Oh, I'm the weird person? You friken stalker knew my address! Now get out before I curse you to die on your birthday!"

"My birthday's next week!"

"Good for you! Now, _out__!_" Madoka got pushed out the door, and the three girls were alone again.

"How come Kaede practically flirted with the guy the whole time?" Kou scratched her head in confusion. Kaede put her finger on her lips, and tiptoed to the door. She opened it wide open, revealing Madoka.

Kaede performed a perfect spinning kick, making it hurt. Madoka ended up fleeing, Kaede on his tail.

"Sooo...," Kaede went back to the room, dusting herself off. "Confidence."

Sachiko fell over backwards. "This is a complete _failure._"

"I agree."

_Flashback Ends_

_Oh wait, those exercises were a complete fail, _Sachiko thought, sweatdropping.

"Thanks," Mori said.

"Mhmm," was all she could muster, and then she power walked the heck out of there. She never did get to see Mori's face.

On the way back to the cafeteria, she ran into Kaede. The intelligent girl read her immediately and asked, no, stated, "You friken ran away. Wow, plan one's a bust."

* * *

><p>AN: Any MorixOC lovers, sorry for that part. For once, Kaede's plans don't work. Heh...

I hope it was good for you guys' taste!

REVIEWS!

Thanks, justaislinn, for reviewing! But really? Kaede? _Adorable? _-_-

(o.\\\) -AmbiWriter- :P


	10. Chapter 10: Beach

A/N: Soooooo... _Two _reviews last time! Yay!

First of all, I thank Guest-san for totally boosting my ego.

Second: Justaislinn... Okay, saying Kaede is adorable was one thing, but saying Kyoya is... that's a _totally _different story.

My rate in updating has been up and down... and up again. I've been checking out new animes lately, like Vampire Knight. All of them are way different from comedy like OHSHC, 'cause I find myself being _so _angry at the heroine's stupidity. Haruhi is different... she's just oblivious.

Anyways... I should start my chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. I only own my own OC's (three own's... heh...).

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Shadow Queen<span>**

**Chapter 10:**

**Beach**

_Third Person_

Lately, the Host Club, though being comprised of mostly oblivious idiots, have noticed the poor attendance to Kaede's club activities. Recently, the number of clubs she attended drastically was reduced to three: the Host Club, Band, and Jazz Band, band in which was during the school day.

She looked kind of empty and depressed, though smiled a bit. Throughout the twins' fight (referring to episode 5), the only comment she made before exiting the room in which the twins were destroying was, "You guys are horrible actors." They failed to realize that Kaede was hinting that they were only carrying out a plan.

Kaede also partly missed the elementary school boy, whose ear reached the words, "Moronic brat."

There was also the jungle pool in which Kyoya invited all of them to, except Kaede passed the invitation.

All in all, they realized after three weeks that Kaede was kind of distant. Great friends, huh?

After missing a hecka lot of Host Club days, the said "boy" walked into the Music Room, her eyes glued to her ShiraiPad. She came in, overhearing a conversation. "The beach?"

**"Yes, the beach!"**

"You said so before, didn't she? You wouldn't mind going to a real beach," said the twins, going on and off with the sentences.

Kaede's head snapped up to the next part of the conversation.

"...we've prepared some swimsuits for you."

Kaede looked, and, startlingly, found many swimsuits behind her. The twins and Haruhi didn't yet notice the girl.

"Isn't this cute?" said the twins, showing her a frilly bikini.

"I think...," Honey interrupted, showing a swimsuit with a collar and was blue, "...that this would look good on Haru-_chan_." Kaede raked a hand through her hair, noting that it was quite pretty.

**"You don't get it, huh, Honey-_senpai_?" **said the twins. They grabbed Haruhi, much to Kaede's dislike, and informed, "Just wearing this uniform helps to gloss over the fact that she's as flat as a cutting board. A one-piece type suit like that would only invite tears, by making it obvious how utterly poor her figure is."

**"On that point, we carefully selected this separate-type suit," **continued the twins. **"The frills do a fine job of covering the absense of any bust!"**

Tamaki appeared, angry faced, but Kaede stepped in, sighing. "Soo... this is what you guys have been doing when I was gone?" she said, vexed.

**"Kaede/ Kae-_chan_!" **they all cried in surprise. Honey rushed to Kaede, hugging her.

"It's Kae-_chan_!" he said joyfully. He looked up at Kaede with big eyes. "Where have you been?"

Kaede shrugged. "I just went to Mount Fuji... and bought a dog there... then played with the Philharmonic in Korea...," she said.

**"Really?!"**

"...You guys bought that?" Kaede asked. "Sooo... are you guys going to the beach?"

**"Tono says he doesn't want to come!"**

"I didn't say that!"

"Can Usa-_chan _go with us?"

"I have no objections." The last voice peaked Kaede's interest.

"Ootori?" Kaede said, just now noticing his presence. She walked up to him, a letter in her hand. "There's this thing my parents want me to give you." She nodded her head in her weird way of respect. The Host Club didn't really notice the scene, for they were busy arguing about what Haruhi will wear.

"My daughter will not show that much skin until she's married!"

**"Oooohhh... Tono just wants to have her for himself..."**

"What the frick are you guys doing?" Kaede said softly into the twins' ears, her hot breath making them shiver.

**"N-nothing!" **they stammered, closing their eyes in horror, but, in opening them, saw Kaede checking out the blue swimsuit Honey had taken out.

"...This is really pretty."

* * *

><p>And so... they went to Okinawa (with Sachiko, who's practically part of the club now, since she helps out a lot) for the beach.<p>

**"So, why Okinawa?" **asked the twins.

"Kyoya's folks have a private beach here," said Tamaki.

"Ootori sure is rich."

"Says the daughter of the founder of the sole leader in electronics today."

"Touche."

"It's a beautiful place, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Kaede... this is too much!"

"Stop grabbing onto my sleeve, Chiya!"

"Why didn't we go to the Caribbean or Fiji?" asked the twins.

**"Do you think Haruhi has a passport?" **said the K-pair (name for Kaede and Kyoya).

"Ahhh..."

"Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness," replied Haruhi, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She was the only one without a passport, though there was another commoner there.

Now _that _is what you call an introduction.

Anyways...

"Why the heck are we hosting at the beach?!" asked Kaede, in her swimsuit. "I'm not even Katana today!"

Kaede sat down at a log, watching Tamaki with yet another girl, and the twins doing a volleyball match with girls. She sweatdropped when the match suddenly turned into two brothers chasing each other in the sand.

"Because, Shirai, this is a great way for money," said Kyoya, leading the girls in line to Tamaki's loving rock.

Kaede sighed, sitting down with Haruhi and Chiya under the umbrella. "This sucks... I'm spending my break with Host Club business..."

**"What break?" **asked the girls, not knowing the situation Kaede was in.

"Nothing," she said, brushing them off. She stood, seeing the twins finally pick up their beach ball. They were talking with each other about how Kyoya fooled them. "Oi, you two... you doin' beach volleyball?" she asked pointedly to the twins.

**"Yeah."**

"Hey, can I play?"

So... one of the girls dropped out reluctantly for Kaede to play against the twins with a random girl. Long story short: Kaede left them on the ground, totally out of it.

"I thought you guys were using a beach ball...," Chiya said, sweatdropping. She walked up to Kaede.

Kaede grinned. "It's the power of greatness."

* * *

><p>"Amazing! What a haul!" cried Honey loudly. Kaede strolled up to Chiya, Haruhi, and Honey surrounded by many sea shells.<p>

"What the heck is this?" asked Kaede.

"We're going to have a fancy side dish tonight, huh?" said Haruhi.

"Well, you all look like you're enjoying yourselves, so I guess it's all right," commented Tamaki from the side lines.

"Why are there so many sea shells...?" asked Kaede.

"It's repayment from the Ootori Group's police force after an incident with Honey," informed Sachiko.

"Senpai!" Haruhi called. "We caught a big haul for tonight's supper!"

Then, blah blah blah... Tamaki started doing his weird daddy stuff.

"What do you think, Haruhi?" asked Tamaki, holding out a crab, "crab-tivating?" Haruhi looked at him.

Kaede fought back a snicker. "That's gotta be the worst pun ever..."

Haruhi blushed a little bit and said, "Yes."

"How cute!" Tamaki cried, leaving Kaede to snicker some more.

_How can she act like a boy like that? _thought Kaede. No wonder everyone thought she was gay...

Kaede's thoughts were interrupted by sudden screams. **"CENTIPEDE!" **She looked to the crab Tamaki was holding, and saw a black and yellow centipede crawling out.

"Oh, just saying, there's a centipede crawling out of the crab," Kaede said monotonically, standing up and brushing off sand. "And there's a 90% chance it's poisonous."

**"WE KNOW THAT, KAEDE!"**

"Wow, simultaneous."

She saw Haruhi pick it up and throw it. "Haruhi-_kun _is so manly," said the girls. "And yet so nice, huh?"

"Fantastic!" they all exclaimed.

Kaede snickered good naturedly. "Yeah, _manly _for sure."

"Shirai, I wouldn't like for you to reveal Haruhi's secret with such comments," Kyoya said, appearing behind Kaede as always.

"Don't worry, the level of _moe _is too high," Kaede said.

The two walked nearer to the twins and Tamaki, there early enough to hear: "Isn't there anything she's afraid of?"

Sachiko joined in, about to open her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it after seeing the twins look as if they had an idea. Kaede read her thoughts, which were, _This is _not _good..._

"Tono! Tono! We just thought up a fun game. Want to play?" asked the twins to Tamaki. "We call it," they said, "the 'Who can find Haruhi's weakness?' game!"

"_That _is the most creative name I have heard," Kaede commented sardonically, appearing behind Tamaki. "So... where do we place our bets?"

"What an awful-sounding game," said Tamaki, inching back to Kaede.

"Yeah, you're probably right. She'd only show her weakness to someone she was close to, and all."

Kaede snickered again. "Yeah, right..." Kyoya jabbed her to the side to keep her quiet.

"WHAT ARE THE RULES?!" shouted Tamaki, suddenly interested.

"Oh, hey, Chiya, Tamaki's as gullible as you," Kaede commented, catching the attention of Sachiko.

"Yeah, even I know someone can't be as gullible as that baka."

"I will give whoever wins a prize," Kyoya suddenly interrupted. He held out three pictures... of Haruhi.

"We're in on this, too!" added the third years.

"You perverted bunch...," Sachiko said, miserably.

"Hey, dude, are those from my collection or yours?!" Kaede said, grabbing the pictures. "Oh wait, no, these are yours."

"KAEDE!"

"Hey, hey... Haruhi knows and doesn't care as long as it's me..."

"How does Kae-chan and Kyo-chan have pictures of Haruhi?" asked Honey, innocently.

**"I have my sources. Why don't we just leave it at that?"**

"...They're like twins..."

**"SHUT UP OR YOU WILL DIE."**

* * *

><p>And so, the twins tried putting Haruhi in a scary cave.<p>

"If you guys are planning to scare Haruhi, I'm afraid a cave won't do," Kaede said, whispering to the twins.

**"Katana-kun, we're afraid!" **the girls ran to Kaede, currently being Katana.

"It's okay, this is all just a plan fail for the twins, isn't it?" comforted Kaede, glaring at the twins, whose plan didn't work.

Plan Fail.

* * *

><p>Then, came Honey with a dark truck.<p>

"It's dark, and confined, and scary!"

That wasn't Haruhi... so: Plan Fail.

* * *

><p>Then, came Mori with a <em>mori <em>(harpoon).

"Hahahaha... I lost it at _mori!_" said Kaede, in the sidelines again watching over Haruhi through out the game. She started laughing like crazy after the unintentional play on words.

Plan Fail.

* * *

><p>"This game is useless, huh?" groaned Hikaru to his younger twin. All of the plans so far had failed, and so they sat on the fence of one of the shacks on the beach.<p>

"Ah... I'm getting bored."

"Pessimistic, aren't we?" Kaede jumped over the fence, taking the two by surprise.

**"KAEDE?!"**

"You guys are just like Chiya. Anyways, why are you giving up?"

"She's not cut out to be a heroine, with all those things she's _not _afraid of."

"Hey, I'm a heroine, and I'm scared of plenty of stuff."

**"WAAAAAAA...?!"**

"For example, I'm afraid of dogs."

"WHOA, REALLY?!"

"Actually, recently, I found out they're afraid of me."

**"..."**

* * *

><p>"Haruhi-<em>kun<em>_! _Kaede-_chan__! _Hey there! This breeze feels great!" called three girls from up above the rock that Haruhi was collecting "side dishes" from.

"Oi, is that safe?!" called out Kaede.

"It's dangerous up there," added Haruhi.

The three disregarded the warnings and talked amongst themselves. "This feels great, huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

They were interrupted by a sudden shout. "Oho, there are girls up here!"

Kaede, who was helping Haruhi, perked up at the sound. The sound was distant, and Haruhi didn't hear it at first, but was alert after Kaede tugged her sleeve.

"Stop it! This is a private beach!" cried one of the girls. They were being harassed by two unruly men.

Haruhi, being the brave "boy" she was, threw her precious side dishes onto one of them. "Would you go away now? They don't want you," she said firmly. "They say you're bothering them."

"Haruhi-_kun_," they swooned. Kaede, in the sidelines again, sweatdropped.

_Not the time to be fangirling, you three, _she thought.

"Why you-"

The man pulled the neck of Haruhi's shirt and pulled her dangerously to the edge. "What's with these spindly little arms?"

"Haruhi-_kun_!" the girls cried.

Kaede came from the shadows, finally going to do something. She yawned.

"Don't go trying to act tough when you're such a sissy boy!" yelled the other one.

"Kid, you should just go swimming in the ocean..."

Kaede inched out more to be seen.

"...like a good boy!" And so Haruhi was pushed off.

"HARUHI!" shouted Tamaki, running to the place. He dived after.

Kaede sighed, and grabbed the hand of the guy who pushed off Haruhi. She twisted it dangerously. "You're lucky that Haruhi won't get seriously hurt, dude... because you would be hurt more."

"A girl...?!"

Kaede dropped him dangerously close to the ground, his arm twisting more and more.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

"Haruhi's not a sissy boy," said Kaede, turning to the other guy. She pulled up the guy whose arm she was twisting up, and pushed him in the direction of his accomplice. She pulled the girls from the accomplice's grasp, and did a perfect kick underneath them, making them fall to the ground.

They whimpered, Kaede kneeling close to them. "You know... I wonder if I would have been serious about hurting you two if you attacked the _me_," threatened Kaede, making them whimper even more. "Because I'm even more protective of myself..."

* * *

><p>Kaede ran back down to the others, and got there in time to see Haruhi climbing off of Tamaki's arms. "Are you one of <em>those<em>?" asked Tamaki dramatically to Haruhi, wet and just escaped from drowning. "Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai or Kaede? How could you think that you, a girl, by yourself, could do anything against those boys?!"

Kaede resisted to interrupt, since she was sure that they forgot that the person who made the guys run away right into the arms of Kyoya's police, was, in fact, a girl. "It had nothing to do with being a boy or a girl. I was just there, and didn't have time to think about anything like-" Haruhi started.

"Well think about it, you idiot! You are a girl!"

"I will apologize for making you come after me, but I can't understand any other reason why you'd be mad at me. I haven't done anything wrong."

"You haven't, huh? Then you go right ahead. I'm not speaking to you again until you admit you were wrong!"

* * *

><p>AN: Let's end it for this, cause I'm hecka slow in updating right now. Just wanna, you know, keep my readers.

If you have any questions, they will be answered in the next chapter (probably).

I am gloomy cause I got a friggin 80% on my math test. (_ _) Gomenasai for this chapter.

-AmbiWriter-

I am also slow cause I'm writing a cell phone novel called "Emotionless" on textnovel. I'm into something new, but I'm totally still writing this.

I might get happy if you review. _Might. _I'm the kind of person who gets a 100 on most tests. No, wait, practically all of them. FRIGGIN TEST.


	11. Chapter 11: Beach

A/N: I'm so happy! Guest 1-san, Guest 2-san, and gugusmith42, THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!

I was so sad when I updated last time that I changed my mood message on Skype to: I'm not depressing...no...

But you guys totally put me out of depression! Thank you, again.

This is a continuation of the last chapter and the beginning of the explanation for Kaede's disappearance. I totally forgot about Kamiko, the side character (you guys probably did too, since no one's questioning it...).

I'll continue her later. But, for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. Only my OC's.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Shadow Queen<span>**

**Chapter 11:**

**Beach**

_Third Person_

"Oh, hey look at these beautiful mushrooms you planted, Tamaki...," commented Kaede, picking up the ones Tamaki was growing. He looked up with teary eyes.

"Waaaaaa... Kaaaeeeeddddeee...," he cried, hugging the girl.

Kaede pat him on the head. "There, there..."

The twins, who sat near the window watching the two, sweatdropped. "There's something wrong with that picture..."

"Well, Tamaki's been sad since he got into a fight with Haruhi," Kaede shrugged. "It's a petty fight; Haruhi was only trying to protect those girls."

Kyoya and the third years added in. "But wasn't Kae-chan there the entire time?" asked Honey.

**"Yeah!" **exclaimed the twins accusingly. "If you interfered earlier, Haruhi wouldn't have been close to drowning."

"I was stretching before I beat them up."

**"THAT'S NO EXCUSE, KAEDE!"**

Kaede sighed, raking her bangs. "I was restraining myself, at most, okay? Did you see those guys after I beat them up?"

Everyone went silent. Well, no, they didn't...

Kyoya's phone beeped, and so he checked it. "Oh, this is a report on the attackers' condition from my hospital."

_**THEY WERE HOSPITALIZED?! **_thought everyone except the K-pair.

"Their arms are dislocated."

"Really? Only that?"

Everyone else in the room sweatdropped. "Expected of the girl who beat Mitsukuni," said Mori, speaking a full sentence (partially, I guess).

_**WHO IS THIS GIRL?! **_everybody simultaneously thought again.

Then, the door opened, and in came Haruhi, clad in a pink dress to her knees, and Sachiko, in a similar dress but in blue.

"Whoaaa!" said Honey.

**"Haruhi, Sachiko; did you guys buy those dresses yourselves?" **asked the twins.

"My dad must have repacked our bags when Sachiko went to my house before the trip," explained Haruhi.

"The weird guy always wants to dress us up," said Sachiko, sweatdropping.

**"Good job, Haruhi's dad!" **cried the twins in English, making thumbs-up.

"Haru-chan and Sa-chan kawaii~" said Honey.

"Sachiko, you look nice," said Mori.

* * *

><p>And so... the clock ticked and ticked.<p>

The room was static, except for the clock and the scratching of pencil on paper. Kaede and Kyoya were the only ones who didn't look so awkward.

Haruhi and Tamaki sat next to each other, making the situation even weirder.

"The air is stuffy, huh?" one of the twins commented.

"It's kind of tense in here."

"Gee wiz, dude," said Kaede.

"Um...," said Sachiko.

"Let's eat, Haru-chan!" exclaimed Honey to Haruhi, trying to break the awkwardness. "I'm sure the crabs we caught today are delicious."

Haruhi took the crabs and started eating them hungrily. "These crabs are in-crab-able. Get it?"

Tamaki looked in horror at the crabs flying his way.

"Haruhi...," Kaede said, sweatdropping.

One after the other, Haruhi ate the crabs. Finally, Tamaki had the guts to talk when the pile came up to his face. "Aren't you eating too much, to say the least?"

"Huh? I thought you weren't speaking to me?" said chubby Haruhi.

Tamaki reeled away in horror. "Y-you're not being cute." Haruhi just glanced at him. Tamaki stood up, unable to take it. "Okay, I get it. You're not going to reconsider what you've done. Fine, then. I'm going to bed."

He stomped away angrily.

"...Something tells me _he's _the one acting like a child," Kaede whispered to Kyoya.

"He's not good at these things, Kaede," he whispered back.

"Kyoya, show me to my room," ordered Tamaki.

"Alright. Well, if you'll excuse me, too...," said Kyoya, abruptly standing and exitting along with Tamaki.

Haruhi stopped continuously eating crabs. "Maybe I really _should _learn some karate or something."

**"Oh, then it _is _bothering you?" **asked the twins. "That's the direction your thoughts are going, is it? It's not like we'd stop you, or anything, **but that's not what this is about, is it?"**

"For once, I agree with the guy too," piped in Sachiko.

"Yeah. If it was Mitsukuni-senpai or me, it's alright, but someone like you, Haruhi, isn't able to snap an arm," Kaede added. "You really should reconsider your rash actions."

"Why? Kaede, I didn't make trouble for you guys, did I?" asked Haruhi innocently.

"That's not true, Haru-_chan_," said Honey. "You should tell everyone you're sorry, okay?"

"Tell Tamaki that you're sorry too, since he was worried the most," Kaede said.

"You were all worried about me?"

**"Do you believe this girl?" **sighed the twins.

"Dude, you're as fragile as a [normal] girl, like Chiya. Of course we were worried," said Kaede.

"Oh... I'm sorry," Haruhi apologized.

Suddenly, everyone except Kaede and Mori hugged her. **"Aww, what for, you little mutt? You're so cute, we'll forgive you!" **the huggers cried.

Kaede crossed her arms. "Just promise to let me beat up the guys," she said coldly.

Suddenly, Haruhi turned blue.

**"What's the matter?" **asked the twins.

"I don't feel so good," she said.

Sachiko sprung off. "Okay, I don't want vomit on me."

"Are you one of those people who eat a lot when they're stressed?" asked Kaede.

* * *

><p>Kaede smirked, walking around the halls after dinner. She had seen where Haruhi had run; she went to Kyoya's room. She unintentionally started giggling softly.<p>

She went up to his room, waiting outside. She also had seen Tamaki go in a couple minutes before.

The door opened, and out came Kyoya.

"Hey, Ootori," she greeted.

"Shirai," he nodded in acknowledgement.

They started walking the halls together.

"So...how's your arranged marriage going?"

* * *

><p>"Ootori, it's not technically an arranged marriage," Kaede said, on the couch across Kyoya. "I have any option to get out of it. But my curiosity about my mysterious partner is huge."<p>

"He's the heir of the Kurata Electronics, practically the most profitable company in the world; a technology giant like your own family's."

"Yeah. Recently, I've been meeting up with him. I can't really tell this to anybody but you, since my family trusts you like a son. If this gets out, this might get onto the news. Neither him or me, though rich, is immune. To make it worse, the guy is pretty much an idol."

"Kei Kurata, hmm? Interesting."

* * *

><p>After that conversation, the two went to walk to Kyoya's room, since, though awkward after talking about the past subject, knew something rather funny was about to happen.<p>

The whole group gathered at his door, and then knocked. They swung open the door, revealing Tamaki blindfolding Haruhi. "You see? With the blindfold, you can't see anything, and sound-wise, if you wear earplugs..."

Kaede was beside herself with silent laughter, leaning onto Kyoya for support. "Ah, you're right!" exclaimed Haruhi with delight.

"Despicable," hissed the twins. "What kind of 'play' is this?"

"I-it's not like that! It's not like that!"

* * *

><p>And so they packed up their bags into the limo. "His highness apparently has a thing for S&amp;M, too," said the twins.<p>

Kaede bonked their heads. "You dumb idiots. Tamaki wins the game, so give him the pics, Ootori!"

**"Wait, what?!"**

"You _idiots _are not close with Haruhi at all," sniffed Kaede. "You didn't win the game, and you misunderstood Tamaki's kindness. And you are bad influences to my innocent best friends."

As evidence, they turned to Haruhi. "I see. So that's what S&M is," she commented.

Kaede bonked the twins' heads again. "Haruhi..."

Tamaki ended up left behind, even though Kaede was on his side.

"Haruhi, you just broke his heart by believing the red haired gossipers," said Sachiko, sweatdropping.

"...oh..."

* * *

><p>AN: Quick update, right? It's short since it's a continuation of the last chapter.

I hoped you liked it! It kind of explained a bit why Kaede wasn't there for like 2 episodes.

Please review!

-AmbiWriter- (o.\\\)


	12. Chapter 12: TESTS, and other stories

A/N: I am happy yet sad. Happy: I, um, can't tell you. Sad: I, um, don't want to.

Soooooo... I HAVE DELAYED LONG ENOUGH. *cue glorious background music* IT'S TIME FOR THAT "MARRYING THIS GUY" ARC.

:O Applause applause :O

Wait. No... I need to do an EXTRA story. You know how I mentioned that I got like an 80 on my math test? I got a 93 on the next one -_-. The world hates me. And, right now... I BRING THAT SADNESS TO BELOVED KAEDE.

Okay. I am crazy right now. For weird reasons.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC, NEVER CAN, NEVER WILL. I HAVE JUST SAID THE MOST DEPRESSING (but true) WORDS IN THE WORLD.

BUT I OWN KAEDE. HER ALONE IS AWESOMESAUCE 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, SHE IS A CLONE OF ME. (so true :D)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Shadow Queen<strong>

**Chapter 12**

**TESTS**

**...and other stories...**

_Third Person_

"How come Kaede's always in the back table studying now?" Haruhi asked Kyoya, happening to be passing by. The two looked at her from afar, sitting in what used to be Tamaki's "eating ramen" spot.

"It seems as if Kaede's test scores have lowered," Kyoya said, fixing his glasses. "By the way things are going, she might be put in the regular rankings like you and everyone else."

"What? Didn't she get the highest score on exams?"

"She got a 93; In other words, that's one of her lowest scores."

"That exam was hard, though..."

"She got the easy questions wrong."

"Cracks under pressure, huh?"

"SHADDUP!" shouted Kaede, currently dressed up as Katana. "I AM TRYIN' TO STUDY, OOTORI! YOU FRIGGIN' NOSY _JERK!_"

Haruhi was surprised. Not that Kaede was shouting at only Kyoya ('cause most of the time she does), but that she was exceedingly immersed in her studies. She knew that, usually, Kaede only studied when she was deathly bored. "How come she studies for once?" she asked, curious.

Tamaki went from behind, since he had a break in between appointments. "Looks like Kaede got into a bet with my father."

They heard a sickeningly _crunch! _as yet another [mechanical] pencil breaks from Kaede's grasp. Kyoya fixed his glasses. "If each pencil she has broken equals to a wrong answer, she has had only 6 wrong answers."

"Is it okay that she is breaking them?" asked Haruhi, flinching at the waste of money. The two rich guys turned their gazes to the commoner.

"They're only 180 yen," said Kyoya. Haruhi sweatdropped.

"So, Tamaki-senpai, what is it about a bet?" she asked, turning to the blonde.

"My father's taking a liking to Kaede, apparently. He told her that if she gets a perfect score, and he meant a 100, on the end of the quarter exam, he'll switch Sachiko into the A classes."

"So that's why she's studying."

**"I don't know about you, but it looks like she would be more content if she was on her computer doing drawing tutorials or stuff for the club," **said the twins, piping into the conversation.

"Uwah, Kae-chan looks angry!" pointed Honey to an exceedingly fed up Kaede. She broke another pencil and stood up from her chair. Her threatening gaze turned to the Hosts.

"I feel like we have to run."

"Me too."

And so, the rest of the Host Club time was spent having the Hosts being chased by a rather swift Kaede.

* * *

><p>"Kaede, it's time to go," Kyoya said to a sleeping Kaede, shaking her a bit. They were all alone, since Kyoya stayed behind to wake up his childhood friend.<p>

"Kiyoshi...," Kaede softly muttered. Kyoya flinched, abruptly taking back his hand. "Kyoya," Kaede said too, laughing a bit.

_Is she messing with me? _thought Kyoya, annoyed. _If she's awake..._

Kaede, though, made no sign of complete consciousness. She continued to softly snore, when Kyoya was annoyed to his wit's end. "OI!" he shouted rather loudly. No response.

Kyoya had a rather weird idea, but it was better than staying at school the whole night. His hands hesitantly moved near Kaede's sides... and he tickled her.

That's right. He _tickled _her. And Kaede woke up in a flash; even falling to the floor in surprise. She looked up to Kyoya, whose nerve had popped. Kaede started laughing crazily, rolling on the floor. "Oh my GOODNESS, I lost it," Kaede said, unable to stop. "It's just so nostalgic."

"Shut up," Kyoya said, still greatly irritated. Kaede kept on laughing.

"S'been a while since someone's tickled me," Kaede said.

"Whatever; we just need to get out of here before dark."

The two, after Kaede had settled down, picked up their stuff to leave. Kyoya insisted for him to walk Kaede home, even though there was the option of driving in the limo.

They reached her doorstep in record time, and so the pair parted. As Kaede opened the door, she sighed.

"And so one relights a spark..."

* * *

><p>The next day, Kaede bumped into Kamiko. "OI KAMIKO!" shouted Kaede, carrying her books. "ISH YOU 'GAIN!" Kaede's speech was slightly weird due to early morning excitement.<p>

"Kaede...?" Kamiko asked, a little weirded out.

"What happened with you and Kyoya?"

That comment sure did strike the heart. Great, Kaede, just great.

"Did you confess?"

"...No..."

Kaede smiled warmly at Kamiko's flustered face. "Dang man, I don't understand lack of confidence." Kamiko, who was facing down, looked up in surprise. "I mean, when I'm nervous 'bout somethin', I forget 'bout it."

"What? How can you do that?"

"Because I know someday I will die and my regrets will all fade away..."

"Um, that doesn't help."

"Really? It's usual if when someone regrets something they want to die. It helps if you know YOUR FATE IS NOT DIFFERENT."

"Kaede, are you high on something?"

"No, why?"

"Nothin'."

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, the Host Club still looked to see Kaede studying during business hours. Dressed as Katana, she entertained her numerous guests by maintaining her usual broody attitude.<p>

"Katana-_kun, _what are you doing?" one of the guests asked.

"I'm studying, genius," Kaede replied, her tone sharp.

The hosts, who were still observing, gasped. "Uwaaaa! Kata-chan is being mean to the guests!" cried Honey.

"How is her behavior different? She's always like this, you know," Sachiko said, piping in.

"At this rate, she'll scare away her guests!" exclaimed Tamaki.

**"Yeah!" **agreed the twins.

"But, they sure don't look scared," Kyoya pointed out, making them turn in surprise. Well, actually, the girls they thought were afraid had hearts in their eyes. "I think we found 'his' selling point."

"You guys found whose selling point?" added a voice. Everyone turned, again. It was Kamiko.

"Kamiko-chan!" Sachiko said in surprise. "You don't go here often."

"Kaede acted a bit weird earlier, and I found out that she hangs out here a lot."

"Well," Kyoya interrupted, "Kaede's not here right now."

Kamiko almost jumped in surprise, seeing Kyoya there. "What? Um, then I'll go." She turned to leave quickly.

"Wait!" a hand on her arm stopped her. Kamiko spinned around, startled. It was a boy, a handsome one, whose face she didn't recognize. "Are you Kamiko-chan?"

"Y-yes," Kamiko replied, still a bit startled. The boy, who was 'Katana,' looked at her intently.

"You can stay here for a bit, Kamiko-chan. I'm sure a presence like yours could shut up the idiots," Katana said, both kind and bitter (however those tones fit together).

"Um, o-ok," Kamiko stuttered.

And so she was stuck. With the ridiculously handsome hosts that she was not immune to, like Kaede and Haruhi (Sachiko excluded; she was a nervous wreck).

"You are Kaede's friend, no?" Kyoya surprised her even more by sitting on the couch across Kamiko. She couldn't help but blush.

"Yes."

"Do you happen to know anything about her-" he was interrupted by a sudden hand to the mouth.

"Well, well, O-Kyoko-chi..." To Kamiko's surprise, it was Shiraishi-_kun_. "Seems like you've been busy with Kamiko-chan."

Katana looked annoyed, and a nerve had popped. Kyoya looked irritated too. "Don't call me using a girl name, Shiraishi."

"Sooo... Kamiko-chan...," Katana ignored him, much to his dislike. "Are you liking your stay?"

"Um, yes, Shiraishi-_kun_," Kamiko said politely.

"Great! Next time you should request me or Haruhi, since Kyoko-chi is a very _very _bad influence on innocent people like yourself," Katana pulled off a winning smirk, showing both cleverness and kindness. It made Kamiko flustered.

"Oi, Shiraishi," interrupted Kyoya, annoyed. He took Kaede by the ear and tugged hard. It made the crossdressing girl wince. "Don't call me Kyoko!"

Kamiko looked at the scene in wonder. _Was Kyoya-sama straight in the first place? _she thought in horror.

Horrified by the fact, Kamiko rushed to get out. "Bye, Shiraishi-_kun, _Kyoya-_sama_!"

* * *

><p>AN: Totally got off the track here and made a mini series with Kamiko. OKAY SORRY GUYS YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT TWO MORE CHAPTERS.

Gomenasai. (_ _)

I just had to add a third wheel, ok? I'll put in some snips of the "marrying this guy" thing here and there for now.

Sorry, again.

-AmbiWriter- (o.\\\)


	13. Chapter 13: Yaoi

A/N: No reviews for that last chapter. :(

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC, but I do own my awesome OC's. They can't take that away from me.

* * *

><p><span>The Shadow Queen<span>

Chapter 13:

Yaoi

"Oi, why is Tamaki in his emo corner now?" Kaede asked, standing over his kneeling figure, pointing at him.

The twins came from the other side of the room. "Kamiko-chan said something to him," they shrugged.

"Yeah; she asked why Tamaki was the president of the club when he could barely manage himself," Haruhi added in. Kaede snickered.

"I should invite her more often as Shiraishi-kun," Kaede said. "She never goes here when Kaede asks her."

Kaede flicked Tamaki's head, him saying "OW!" in pain. "My daughter's being mean to me, MOMMY!" Tamaki whined. "She has no sympathy to her father!" Kaede flicked him again.

"I'm not your daughter, figuratively or literally. I'd rather be your sister and Sachiko will be your daughter in my place. Got it?"

"Seems like Shirai is taking the names of club position in her hands," Kyoya came in with his notebook. "The position she chose is reasonable, though, since, if she wasn't absent so much, she could be number one in this club."

There goes Tamaki back in his corner. Kaede snickered, and said, "Well, thanks, Ootori, for making Tamaki's clinical depression worse."

"No problem; it's what I do."

Kaede checked her watch. "Oh hey, Haruhi, do you want to go shopping? I have some time for once," she told Haruhi. "Sachiko can't make it herself."

"Okay," Haruhi replied. Suddenly, the "Daddy" stood up with vigor.

"Did I hear the word 'shopping?!'" Kaede realized her mistake.

"Oh, man, I should've said 'grocery finding' or something like that," Kaede muttered.

"HARUHI!" Tamaki pointed to the crossdressing girl. "Go with your auntie to the mall for girly clothes!" he ordered.

"Wai… what?"

In a flash, Tamaki got him out of the school and into one of his limos, directed to go to the mall. "Tamaki!" Kaede banged on the child locked door as Tamaki saw them away. "DUDE!" And so, the two girls of the Host Club sat in silence, awaiting to arrive at the mall. "That dang Tamaki, pushing me to go to a mall," Kaede raked a hand through her hair. "I needed whip cream from the grocery store!"

"It's not that bad," Haruhi shrugged nonchalantly. Kaede stared slack jawed at her. "I mean, I don't have enough money for the good stuff, but there are pretty good clearance sales."

"Dude… I'm gonna die there!" Kaede took Haruhi by the shoulders and shook her.

"...How?"

Kaede looked as if remembering a dark past. "Everytime I walk into a mall… I get bombarded by photographers asking for me to model for them!"

Haruhi broke into a small laugh. "That's it?"

"YEAH! And with that great makeover the hosts gave, you'll be sucked into it too!"

"Wait, what?"

* * *

><p>Before coming into the mall, Kaede convinced Haruhi of the fact. Then, she made a competition on which whoever gets more photographers asking for her to model. They walked into the mall, Haruhi innocently walking, and Kaede with a passive look on her face.<p>

First, they looked into an expensive looking store with pretty bags on display. Haruhi was unsure, since she most likely couldn't even afford to buy one of their chocolates, but Kaede said that she could buy one for her birthday, since she never gave her a present on the 4th of February. It was bad memory on her part, anyways.

When they decided on something for Haruhi's [super] belated present, Kaede said out loud, "We can get an early birthday present for Tamaki, whose birthday is on the 8th of April."

"It's still March, if you forgot, Kaede," Haruhi pointed out.

"No der, dude, I was saying something about an early birthday present. Anyways, I can get something for Kou-Kou back in the States, since her birthday is on the 3rd of April."

"How do you know everyone's birthday except mine?"

"No, it's not that I didn't know about your birthday, I just happened to forget to get you a present," Kaede explained. "Anyways, I put all of you guys' birthdays in my notebook. Ootori gave the said dates to me."

The two decided on all of their items: a cute blue bag for Haruhi, a knitting set to use for making Tamaki's present, and nothing for Kou since Kaede insisted for them to go to an anime/manga store for that.

When they exited, Kaede was stopped by an excited guy with a colorful scarf around his neck, as well as a strap for his camera. That's right; camera. "Um, are you a model?" he asked Kaede.

"Nope," she said in monotone.

"But can you model for one of my pictures? I'll contact you if it'll be used in a magazine or such."

"Sure, need my email?"

"Mhm!" he said enthusiastically. And so he placed Kaede in the courtyard of the mall and started taking pictures of the beautiful girl. Kaede didn't pull off the happiest of expressions, but she seemed talented in taking great poses.

After the mini shoot, Kaede ran to Haruhi, saying, "That's one for me."

They started walking around the mall again. "Turns out you're right at that point," Haruhi said. "You really do get bombarded with photographers."

"Yeah; you know, I wonder if the photographers will shoot you as a boy," Kaede thought out loud.

As if on cue, a photographer came up to Haruhi asking, "Are you a model for a teen boys' magazine?"

"Um, no…"

"Well, can I shoot you?"

And so, Haruhi was shot as a boy.

"Wow, that was my first time being a model," Haruhi said to Kaede afterwards.

"It's really annoying," Kaede told the shorter girl. "But it gains you a bit of superiority if you are noticed. They give you like 36,000 yen each shot, you know."

Haruhi brightened. "Whoa, really? So if I do enough shots, I can pay off the debts?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not that easy when it comes to Tamaki letting you go," Kaede replied. "Anyways, I've gotten a hecka lot of money like this, since I practically pay for my own finances. It's called being financially independent."

"Hmm."

In the end, Kaede won the most shots, going into 9 little shoots. They had one last one, where they were to be in a pair shoot for a teen magazine. Kaede was kind of weirded out when the photographer started muttering, "These two are completely beautiful, I'll totally get on the front cover with this." As much as that was a compliment, it really was kinda… weird.

"More smile, more smile!" the guy behind the camera shouted at Kaede, whose lopsided smirk wasn't enough.

"..." Kaede was getting irritated, since grinning idiotically wasn't her thing.

Then, more to her annoyance, the photographer started doing crazier things to make her laugh. Even buying a monkey suit from a local store and dancing. "Who the heck is this guy?" Kaede muttered to Haruhi, who posed next to her.

Then, to her surprise, Kamiko came into view. The petite girl spotted the two, and came towards them, not knowing that they were in the middle of a mini shoot.

"Um, um, um, um…" Kaede jabbed softly into Haruhi's side, making her turn and see the familiar girl.

"It's Fuzuki-san," Haruhi said.

The two totally disregarded the dancing photographer and their attention went to Kamiko. "Kaede! Haruhi-kun!" she called. "I need to ask you something!"

She stopped coincidentally to a point in which she wasn't included in the picture. "Is Kyoya-sama straight?"

And with that, Kaede burst into laughter and the photographer got his perfect picture.

* * *

><p>AN: No reviews last time, so I got into depression like Tamaki.

So, review this time!

This was a short story, based on the fact that I read Yaoi and kind went on and off, since boy-boy isn't my thing.

I hope you liked this story; I'll be going into the 'marrying the guy' (I PROMISE) the next chapter.

Until then!

(o.\\\) -AmbiWriter- :P


	14. Sluts Mini Story

A/N: I'm up and running for this chapter! I got like 3 or 4 reviews for that last chapter, so I'm pretty much fueled up. Ready to be amazed?

Oh, and I was so pumped up at Justaislinn's review. Anybody who read that last chapter must read his review.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. I own Kaede, Sachiko, her cousins, Rei, Kou, Kamiko, and everyone else I made up.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Shadow Queen<span>**

**Chapter 14:**

**Sluts Mini Story**

The next day, at lunch, Kaede, alone, went to Kyoya, having heard about a handsome new transfer student that's said to be an amateur model. "Oi, Ootori!" Kaede called the black haired guy, alone too, without his own best friend. "Who's the transfer student again?"

Kyoya paused, knowing that Kaede already knew the answer. "...Kei Kurata."

Kaede's hands flew alarmingly to her face, covering it. "Dang it, the world hates me very, very much," she whined. "Kei _Kurata _has friggin' transferred here."

"Don't go whining to me, Shirai, I'm not a pillow," Kyoya said, irritated.

"Oi, you're supposed to be either a friend or a brother, whatever my parents say," Kaede countered. "So _help me, _friggin' Ootori."

The two, after buying their lunches, sat down at a table. "Tamaki's showing Kurata-_kun _around, being the idiot that he is. He's actually not that bad, though."

"Yes, I know, but I have no idea if that guy'll take the secret to his grave, or if until I marry him." Kyoya visibly flinched.

"I'll repeat myself again, Shirai, I can't do much to help you," Kyoya told her. "Just stay away from him at school."

Kaede obediently followed Kyoya's instructions, making sure to have avoided any close calls with Kei. She was all clear, exiting school, when a harem of girls tripped over her (or stampeded). "Ouch," she winced in pain, having hurt her right ankle. She looked up, only seeing legs, and what you would see when you accidentally look up into a mini skirt.

A hand went down to her level, to pull her up. Kaede looked at it, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. It was Kei's; she could distinguish it after all of those meetings in the afternoon. "Sorry for the trouble I've caused," Kei apologized. Kaede couldn't see his look, for her head was down.

"It's okay," Kaede replied, taking her voice a little high, something that was kind of hard for her. She tucked in her bangs behind her ears, unraveling both eyes, and fixed her glasses. This way, she just looked like an ordinary nerd. She took the hand and Kei pulled her up.

"Here you go," Kei said, picking up her backpack, though almost toppling with the weight. "Whoa, what's in here?"

Kaede curtly replied, "School stuff," and took her backpack briskly. She nodded in goodbye and left. Kei scratched his head at the weird girl's behavior. Meanwhile, the girls were fuming.

Kaede kept up her disguise, meaning to keep it until she reached home. It was ten minutes since the run in with Kei, and she was still a bit irritated.

Suddenly, a flying stick barely missed her head, in which she had dodged. She turned around with an annoyed expression. "What do you guys want?" she asked.

It was a part of the harem from the stampede that had trampled Kaede; the girls more obsessed with Kei. "Who are you?" they asked menacingly.

"Aya Moriko," I said coolly. "From Moriko Corp."

"Well, Aya, today's your last day." The girls circled around me like prey. Dang alley, why did I come to such a cliche place?

"Don't come near Kei again."

"You'll regret it," they threatened. One grabbed my bangs, letting me wince in pain. To my horror, they brought out a knife.

_If they cut my bangs... _I thought. _If I get angry, the Host Club's gonna die. _Ready to cut my hair, the girls' knife inched closer and closer. At the last second, I maneuvered to looked in to one of the girl's eyes. She fainted, and the others looked to her in confusion.

They still kept coming. I couldn't stare into the others' eyes, so I twisted quickly and performed a perfect roundhouse kick, bringing them to the ground.

"Argh!" they moaned in pain.

"You guys still don't know me," I smirked, making them have confused glances. Stupid girls, letting me distract them when they could be getting pay back.

I knew they were regular visitors of the Host Club, having remembered a lot of faces. They'll regret this.

I walked away calmly, dodging any flying objects from behind. "DON'T GO NEAR OUJI-SAMA AGAIN!" they shouted hysterically.

"SHUT UP, YOU SLUTS!"

* * *

><p>AN: Suuuuper short. Just wanted to make a chapter to say that I am and will be updating, and to start on a bullying thing. :D

Please review! I need ideas like meat needs salt!

-AmbiWriter-


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